Columbia  (Hnittf rtfitp 

intl)f(£ttpafjlrtug0rk 

THE  LIBRARIES 


Western  Cavaliers 


EMBRACING  THE  HISTORY  OF 


THE  METHODIST  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH  IN 
KENTUCKY  FROM  1832  TO  1844. 


By   A.    H.    REDFORD,    D.D., 

Author  of  "  The  History  of  Methodism  in  Kentucky/'  "The  History 

of  the  Organization  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 

South,"  and  "Fred  Brenning." 


•NASJdVilLE:  tj-:xx. .•: 
SOUTHERN  MET-HOD^ST:  .'-;•;  i  [QHING    BOUSE. 

1876. 


+b~sOt!9 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1875,  by 

A.  H.  REDFORD, 
in  the  Office  of  the  Librarian  of  Congress,  at  Washington. 


STEREOTYPED    AND    PKINTED    AT    THE   SOUTHERN    METHODIST   PUB- 
I.ISIIINi;    HOUSE,    NASHVILLE,    TENN. 


Dedication. 


t0  %  let  % \mtn  ©smmft  Summers,  g,gM  f  f$« 

Dear  Sir: — The  first  time  I  remember  to  have 
seen  you  was  in  the  month  of  May,  1850,  during 
the    session    of    the    General    Conference    of    the 
Methodist   Episcopal  Church,  South,  held  in    the 
city  of  St.  Louis.      In  1854,  at  the  General  Con- 
ference which  convened  that   year  in  the  city  of 
Columbus,  Georgia,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  renew- 
ing  your   acquaintance;    and  in  1858,  during  the 
meeting  of  the  same  body  in  the  city  of  Nashville, 
I  met  you  again.      The  respective  fields  we  occu- 
pied were  too  remote  from  each  other  to  permit,  for 
the  time  being,   any   farther   acquaintance;  hence, 
eight   years  passed  away  before  we  were  thrown 
together  again;  for  the  most  part,  they  were  years 
of  sacrifice,  of  sadness,  of  suffering.      During  this 
period  a  civil  war   had   swept   over   our   country, 
desolating  the  homes  of  our  people,  deluging  the 
nation  with  the  blood  of  brothers,  and  threaten- 
ing the  existence  of  our  Church.     It  was  in  1866, 
-  (5) 


6  D  E  D  I  C  A  T  ION. 

when  the  noise  of  war  had  been  hushed  in  the 
stillness  of  peace,  that  the  General  Conference 
convened  in  the  city  of  New  Orleans.  Although 
time  had  dealt  gently  with  you,  yet  its  foot-prints 
seen  upon  your  brow.  At  this  session  of 
the  Conference,  your  election  as  Editor  of  Books 
and  of  the  Christian  Advocate,  and  mine  as  the 
General  Book  Agent  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  South,  brought  us  into  close  and  intimate 
relations  to  each  other.  For  nearly  ten  years  we 
have  had  almost  daily  intercourse,  and  have  shared 
each  other's  confidence  and  affections.  During  this 
time  no  discord  has  disturbed  our  harmony,  nor 
lias  any  difference  of  opinion  chilled  our  friend- 
ship. In  the  performance  of  the  difficult  duties 
with  which  I  have  been  charged  by  the  Church, 
you  have  always  been  a  judicious  and  faithful 
counselor.  Amid  the  cares  that  have  oppressed 
me  and  the  anxiety  I  have  felt  to  meet  the  ex- 
pectations  of  my  brethren,  the  sympathy  you  have 
always  expressed  and  the  hand  of  a  brother  held 
out  to  me  at  all  times  have  contributed  much  to 
the  advancement  and  progress  of  the  interest  con- 
fided to  my  care.  Indebted,  as  I  am,  to  your 
generosity  and  kindness,  it  is  not  surprising  that 
for  you  I  cherish  a  feeling  of  more  than  friend- 
ship. I  therefore  beg  permission  to  dedicate  this 
volume  to  you. 


Dedication.  7 

With  many  of  the  stirring  events  recorded  in 
this  volume  I  am  not  only  familiar,  but  was  per- 
sonally identified.  Acquainted  with  most  of  the 
preachers  of  the  Methodist  Church  in  Kentucky 
from  my  childhood,  entering  the  Church  the  year 
subsequent  to  the  elate  at  which  this  volume 
opens,  and  admitted  on  trial  into  the  Conference 
four  years  later,  T  had  every  opportunity  not  only 
of  watching-  its  onward  march,  but  the  obstacles 
that  confronted  it  in  its  advance.  Its  rapid  prog- 
ress, adding  an  hundred -fold  to  its  membership 
in  the  short  space  of  twelve  years,  commands  the 
admiration  and  excites  the  wonder  of  all  who  are 
familiar  with  the  difficulties  by  which  it  was  op- 
posed. 

For  more  than  twenty  years  it  has  been  my 
purpose  to  prepare  this  work  and  offer  it  to  the 
Church.  During  this  time  I  have  availed  myself 
of  every  opportunity  to  gather  and  preserve  such 
facts  and  incidents  as  might  contribute  to  its  in- 
terest. It  covers  twelve  years,  embracing  a  most 
brilliant  period  of  the  history  of  the  Church  in 
Kentucky,  containing  brief  sketches  of  many  of 
the  preachers,  and  recounting  revivals  of  extraor- 
dinary influence  and  power,  the  mention  of  which 
is  sufficient  to  enliven  the  zeal  and  kindle  afresh 
the  ardor  of  younger  men  in  the  ministry.  Inci- 
dents, toe,  of  thrilling  interest  have  been  carefully 


8  Dedic  ation. 

preserved,  and  will   contribute   to  the   adornment 
of  these  pages. 

With    sincere    prayers    that   your   valuable    life 
may  long  be  spared  to  the  Church,  and  that  when 
you  pass  away  you  may  enter  upon  eternal  life, 
I  am,  truly,  your  brother  in  Christ, 

A.  II.  BEDFORD. 

Nashville,  Tenn.,  January  1,  1876. 


Contents, 


CHAPTER  I. 

FROM  THE  SESSION  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CON- 
FERENCE OF  1832  TO  THE  CONFERENCE 
OF  1833. 

PAGE 

The  first  cavalier 17 

Conference  at  Harrodsburg 18 

The  veterans 19 

The  chief  officers 19 

The  recruits 19 

John  Emory 20 

Death  of  Franklin  Davis 22 

Examination  of  character 23 

Benjamin  Ogden 24 

Barnabas  McHenry 25 

Augusta  College 28 

Science  Hill  Female  Academy 28 

Bardstown  Female  Academy 28 

Bishop  McKendree 28 

The  appointments 29 

Asiatic  cholera 31 

Revivals 33 

Cholera  in  Louisville,  Shelbyville, 

and  Cynthiana 35 

Jackson's  Purchase 36 

Hezekiah  Holland 36 

Lewis  Garrett 36 

Hickman  Circuit -17 

Sandy  River  Circuit 37 

Tennessee  Mission 38 

Clarke's  River  Circuit 38 

Thomas  A.  Morris 38 

Interesting  sketch 38 

Thomas  Smith 43 

George  W.  D.  Harris 48 

Alexander  L.  P.  Green 48 

Wadesboro  Circuit 50 

Charles  T.  Ramsey 51 

Arthur  Davis 52 

Revival  in  Hickman  Circuit 58 

Camp-meetings 59 

Thomas  L.  Boswell (30 

Calvin  Thompson 60 

Revival  in  the  Wadesboro  Circuit..  62 

Methodism  in  Paducah 02 

Support  of  superannuated  preach- 
ers, widows,  and  orphans ('.."> 

Increase  in  membership 63 

Missionary  collections id 

Support  of  the  preachers 65 

1* 


PAGB 

The  first  missionary  collection 08 

The  Book  Concern 68 

American  Colonization  Society 71 

Death  of  Joseph  B.  Power 72 

Death  of  Barnabas  McHenry 73 

Death  of  Marcus  Lindsey 73 

CHAPTER  II. 

FROM  THE  SESSION  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CON- 
FERENCE OF  1833  TO  THE  CONFERENCE 
OF   1834. 

Conference  in  Greensburg 74 

Robert  Richford  Roberts  :. 74 

A  Bishop's  salary 70 

The  Western  Christian  Advocate 79 

Augusta  College 81 

Roberts  professorship  of  mathe- 
matics      82 

A  financial  system 83 

The  temperance  question 84 

The  subject  of  dress 85 

Henry  B.  Bascom 80 

George  C.  Light 87 

Admissions  on  trial 88 

Locations 89 

Superannuated  preachers 89 

Revival  in  Lexington 91 

Revival  in  Port  William  Circuit....  92 
Revival  in  Newport  and  Covington  92 
Revival  in  Germantown  Circuit....     92 

Revival  in  Fleming  Circuit 92 

Revival  in  Lewis  Circuit '.'■'; 

Revival  in  Big  Sandy  Circuit 93 

Revival  in  Mount  Vernon  Circuit..    9:; 

Revival  in  Cumberland  circuit '.»■•; 

George  W.  Brush 95 

Revival  in  Shelbyville 99 

William  B.  Landrum 102 

Foster  11.  Blades 1""- 

Revival  in  Hartford  Circuit 106 

Revival  in  Jefferson  Circuit 106 

Revival  in  Breckinridge  Circuit...  107 
Revival  in  Yellow  Hanks  Circuit...   1", 

Revival  in  Logan  Circuit L07 

Revival  in  Glasgow  Circuit 108 

( ►pposition  to  Methodism 108 

Revival  in  WadesiM.ro  Circuit 109 

Revival  in  Hickman  Circuit l"'-1 

(9) 


10 


Contents 


PAOE 

Increase  in  membership 109 

Death  of  Thomas  P.  Vance L09 

of  William  P.  McKnight....  l"'.' 

CHAPTER  III. 

FEOM  Till".  SESSION  0!  THE  KENTUCKY  C0N- 
FEBENI  01  L8  1  TO  THE  CONFERENCE 
OF   I"  m 

I  Mount  Sterling Ill 

i  Soule • in 

due  the  Book  Concern 118 

tnt  system  to  be  guarded....  120 

nary  collections 123 

Organization    of    the    Kentucky 
rence  Missionary  3 
for  the  Miss  -         ty..  124 

124 

dmitted  on  trial 125 

125 

Revival  inFrankfort 129 

.1  in  Falmouth  Circuit L29 

Lexington  District 129 

Revival  in  Binekstone  Circuit 130 

Revival  in  Little  Sandy  Circuit 130 

-    D  ly  circuit 130 

;  iii  Germantbwn  Circuit L30 

Augusta  District 130 

Decrease  in  Earrodsburg  District  130 

l1  :n  Mount  Sterling  Station..  130 

i  in  Mount  Vernon  Circuit..  130 

Revival  in  Cumberland  Mission....  131 

Louisville  District 131 

•  in  Hopkinsville  District..  132 

Revival  in  Greenville  Circuit 133 

Revival  in  Hopkinsville  Station  ...  133 
sbnrg  District..  133 

Decrease  iu  membership 133 

■  \V.  D.  Harris  leaves  Ken- 
tucky   134 

ll  -   sermon  at   Mobley's  Camp- 

tnd 134 

of  Benjamin  Ogden 137 

I  >eath  of  Francis  Landrum 137 

Death  of  Samuel  Harrison 137 

of  William  Adams 137 

of  Minor  M.  Cosby 137 

Death  of  William  Outten 138 

I  EAPTER  IV. 

FROM  THE  SESSION  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CON- 
FERF.V  1  "i  L835  TO  THE  CONFER]  '.<  E 
of    I  - 

a  Shelbyville 140 

James  <  >sgood  Andrew 140 

His  first  sermon  in  Shelbyville 143 

ilul  ion  t"  extend  the  circula- 
tion of  the  Wt  '  Ad- 

1 16 

117 

1  17 

ibject  of  temperance i  it 

Abolition  and  colonization l  is 

onference 
150 


PAGB 

Sermon  by  Thomas  N.  Ralston 150 

Sermon  by  Henry  B.  Bascom 151 

Sermon  by  Bishop  Andrew 153 

i  y  sermon  by  Bishop  An- 
drew   155 

Admissions  on  trial 157 

Locations 157 

Henry  J.  Evans. 157 

Thomas  P.  Farmer 158 

Barboursville  District  formed 160 

ise  in  membership 161 

Revival  in  Yellow  Banks  Circuit...  161 

Revival  in  Newcastle  Circuit 161 

Revival  in  Falmouth  Circuit 162 

Revival  in  Port  William  Circuit.,..  162 

Revival  in  Augusta 162 

Camp-meeting  near  Perryville 162 

Revival  in  Bowling  Green  Circuit..  163 

Emigration  from  Kentucky 163 

Thomas  Joyner 165 

Padueah  Circuit  formed 165 

Death  of  Bishop, MeKendree 106 

CHAPTER  V. 

FROM  THE  SESSION  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CON- 
FERENCE OF  1836  TO  THE  CONFERENCE 
OF  1837. 

Conference  in  Louisville 167 

Bishop  Soule  presided 168 

Admissions  on  trial 168 

Locations 169 

William  S.  Evans 169 

John  Redman 170 

Herrington  Stevens 170 

Death  of  Henry  S.  Duke 170 

Death  of  John  Littlejohn 170 

Death  of  William  Phillips 171 

Revival  in  Dover 174 

Revival  in  Bard-town 174 

Revivav  in  Washington 174 

Revival  in  Wayne  Circuit 175 

Revival  in  Madison  Circuii 175 

Revival  in  Campbellsville 175 

Revival  in  Greensbnrg  Circuit 175 

John  Newland  Maffitt 176 

Revival  in  Lexington 181 

Revival  in  Danville 188 

Revival  in  Harrodsburg 189 

Joseph  D.  Barnett 189 

Revival  in  Lebanon  Circuit 191 

Revival  in  Burksville  Circuit 191 

Revival  in  Germantown  Circuit 101 

Camp-meetini:  near  I  iarlisle 192 

Revival  in  Mount  Sterling  Circuit..  192 

Revival  in  Danville  Circuit 192 

Revival  in  Somerset  Circuit 192 

Revival  in  Richmond 193 

Camp-meeting  at  Pleasant  Grove, 

Yellow  Banks  Circuit 193 

Camp-meeting  at  No  Creek.  Hart- 
ford Circuit.. 193 

Revival  at    Bell's  Chapel 194 

Revival  in  La  Fayette  Circuit 194 

1    v-ttil  in  M  uhocnville  Circuit.,      l  14 
Revival  inMaysville 194 


Contents. 


11 


Methodism  in  Jackson's  Purchase  L95 

Adam  Goodwin I'-'-; 

Findley  Bynum ]u-> 

Revival  inPaducah  Circuit 196 

Increase  in  membership L9" 

CHAPTER  VI. 

FROM  THE  SESSION  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CON- 
FERENCE OF  1837  TO  THE  CONFERENCE 
OF  18158. 

Conference  at  Frankfort 198 

Bishop  Roberts '•'« 

Resolution  guarding  the  itinerant 

system 199 

Proposal  to  transfer  Hubbard  II. 
Kavanaugh  to  the  Missouri  Con- 
ference...   200 

The  ('.inference  protests 201 

Thomas  Lasley  and  slavery 202 

Resolution  in  reference  to  special 

sermons 203 

John  Newland  Maffitt 206 

Sermons  in  the  penitentiary 206 

Admissions  on  trial 206 

Superannuated  preachers 207 

Locations 207 

1  icutli  of  Hooper  Evans 207 

Missionary  collections 207 

Revival  in  Frankfort 208 

Revival  in  Louisville,  at  Fourth- 
street 209 

Francis  A.  Dighton 209 

Revival  in  Louisville,  at  Brook- 
street 211 

Letterfrom  Benjamin  T.  Crouch...  213 
Revival  in  Hardinsburg  Circuit....  214 

Revival  in  Brandenburg 214 

Richard  Deering 214 

Revival  in  Hartford  Circuit 220 

Joseph  G.  Ward 220 

Revival  in  Georgetown 225 

Revivals  in  Covington 225 

Revival  in  Falmouth  Circuit 227 

Revival  at  Salem  Church,  Cynthi- 

ana  Circuit 228 

James  C.  Crow 228 

Revival  in  Fleming  Circuit 232 

Revival  in  Augusta 232 

Revival  in  Mavsville 233 

Revival  in  Millersburg  Circuit 233 

Revival  in  Greenupsburg  Circuit..  233 

Revival  in  Little  Sandy  Circuit 233 

Revival  in  .Madison  Circuit 234 

Revival  in  Danville 234 

Revival  in  Winchester  Circuit 234 

Revival  in  Somersel  Circuit 235 

Revival  in  Bowling  Green  circuit..  237 
Revivals  in  Hopkinsville  circuit..  237 

Revival  in  Princeton  Circuit 238 

The  unwelcome  preacher 238 

The  trials  of  a  young  preacher 238 

Revivals  in  Greensburg  District  ...  243 
R.-vivals  in  Barboursville  District  245 
The  youne  pre  acher  and  Mr.  L —  246 
Methodism  in  Jackson's  Purchase  255 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FROM  THE  SESSION  OF  THF.  KF.N  tVCKM  CON- 
FERENCE 01  L838  Tl  '  HE  CONF1  BEN(  B 
OF  1839. 

Conference  in  Danville 256 

Bishops  Waugh  and  Morris 256 

Sketch  of  Bishop  Waugh 256 

Address  on  Education 259 

Sermon  on  Missions 259 

Resolutions  from  the  New  England 

Conference 268 

Bishop  Waugh  on  the  resolution..  269 

The  <  Irrist im i  Apologist 270 

William  Nast 270 

Missionary  collections 271 

Admissions  on  trial 273 

Locations 273 

Death  of  Thomas  II.  Gibbons 273 

Bishop  Waugh's  sermon 271 

Bishop  Morris's  sermon 275 

Missionary  meeting 275 

A  pleasant  incident 275 

Revival  in  Mount  Sterling  Circuit..  277 

Revival  in  Burlington  Circuit 278 

Revival  in  Fleming  Circuit 278 

Revival  in  Newport 278 

Revival  in  Louisville 279 

Revival  in  Hardinsburg  Circuit 281 

Revival  at  Rig  Spring.       ' 

Revival  at  Union  Star 282 

Revival  at  Hardinsburg 282 

Revival  at  Mount  Zion 282 

Revival  at  Head  of  Rough  Creek..  282 
Revival  at  Liberty  Camp-ground..  282 

Revival  in  Newcastle  Circuit 283 

James  D.  Holding 283 

Moses  Levi 28  • 

Revival  in  Westport 287 

Revival  in  Hartford  Circuit 2*8 

Richard  Holding 288 

Revival  in  Owensboro 291 

Revival  in  Hawesville 291 

Revival  at  New  Chapel 291 

Revival  at  Pleasant  Camp-ground  291 
Interesting  letter  from  Benjamin 

T.  Crouch 292 

Revival  in  Shelbyville 293 

Revivals  in  Shelbyville  District 293 

Revival  in  Greensburg  <  ircuit 294 

Peter  Taylor 294 

Revival  in  Greenville  Circuit 296 

Revival  in  Hopkinsville  Circuit....  296 
Revival  in  Madisonville  Circuit....  296 
Revivals  in  Barboursville  District  297 
Jackson's  Purchase 297 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FROM  THE  BESSION  OF  THE  KENTU<  t 

M  ,;l  N,  E   01     L839   TO   THE   CONF1  Rl  SI  I 

of   1840. 

Conference  in  Russellville 299 



t  1  ommittee  on  th 
I    nary  of  Methodism 


300 


12 


Contents. 


PASE 

ution    in    reference    to    the 

•  9e  of  study 301 

Resolution  on  temperance 302 

Ri  Bolution    in    reterence    to   the 

Western  Historical  Society 303 

Resolution  on  intemperance 304 

elected  to  1 1 1 » •  General 

iference 305 

Bishop  Soule's  sermon 306 

An  exciting  scene 306 

M  issionary  anniversary 307 

Admissions  on  trial..... 307 

Locations 307 

Superannuated  preachers 307 

D<  ath  of  Absalom  D.  Fox 307 

Missionary  collections 308 

Revival  in  Augusta 311 

John  II.  J, inn 311 

Daniel  S.  Barksdale 320 

Revival  in  Lewis  Circuit 3-21 

Robert  V.  McReynolds 322 

Revival  in  Cynthiana '■'>-■> 

Revivals  in  Lexington  District 324 

Revival  in  Versailles  Circuit 325 

John  Newland  Maffitt  leaves  Ken- 
tucky   325 

Farther  account  of  his  life 320 

He  dies  of  a  broken  heart 329 

Revival  at  Hughes'  Camp-ground, 

near  Louisville 332 

Kelly 333 

Seraiah  S.  Deering 334 

Sermons  on   baptism,  in  Owens- 

boro,  by  Benjamin  T.  Crouch 335 

John  L.  Waller 335 

Revivals  in  Shelbyville  District 336 

Revivalsin  BowlingGreen  District  338 

Revival  in  Princeton  Circuit 338 

Revival  in  Barboursville  District..  339 

John  P.  Stanfield 339 

Revival  in  Paducah  Circuit 339 

Daniel  Mooney 340 

Revival  in  Wadesboro  Circuit 340 

Increase  in  membership 340 

CHAPTER  IX. 

rBOM  THE  SESSION  OE  THE  KENTUCKY  CON- 
FERENCE   OE    1840   TO    1111'.   CONFERENCE 

..i   1841. 

Conference  in  Bardstown 341 

Bishop  Morris :j41 

Distinguished  visitors 342 

A    communication    from     Bishop 

Smith 343 

Moses  M.  Henkle 343 

Tl Blue  Pill  ■' 345 

Excellent  sermons 347 

'I  he  License  Law :;47 

Missionary  collections 348 

Preachers'  Aid  Society 348 

m  by  William  li.  Andi  rson..  349 

Sermon  bj  Edw  in  Roberts 349 

Admissions  on  trial 349 

350 

Death  I  iNellj  


PAOE 

Death  of  Elijah  M.  Bosley 352 

Joseph  Marsee 356 

Thomas  W.  Chandler 357 

Andrew  Peace 357 

Interesting  letter  from   a   young 

preacher 358 

Revivals  in  Maysville  District 300 

Revival  in  Covington 307 

Revival  in  Newport 367 

Aaron  Moore 367 

George  W.  Merritt 368 

Revival  in  Versailles  Circuit 370 

Revival  in  Winchester  Circuit 370 

John  W.  Riggin 371 

Thomas  Bottomley 372 

William  Holman... 373 

Peter  Schmucker 375 

Alanson  C.  Dewitt 375 

Revival  in  Hodgenville  Circuit :;77 

Revival  in  Litchfield  Circuit :;77 

Revival  in  Danville  Circuit 377 

John  C.  ( .'.  Thompson 378 

Matthew  N.  Lasley 379 

Revival  in  Glasgow  Circuit 383 

Joel  Peak 383 

Revival  in  Russellville 384 

Revivals  in  Barboursville  District  384 

Revival  in  Paducah  Circuit 385 

Camp-meeting  in  Wadesboro  Cir- 
cuit   385 

Revivals  in  Hickman  Circuit 386 

Increase  in  membership 387 

CHAPTER  X. 

FROM  THE  SESSION  OF  THE  KEXTITKY  CON- 
FERENCE OF  1841  TO  THE  CONFERENCE 
OF  1842. 

Conference  in  Maysville 388 

No  Bishop  present 388 

Jonathan  Stamper  elected  Presi- 
dent   388 

The  temperance  question 389 

Communication  from  Bishop  An- 
drew   390 

Committee  on  Augusta  College 390 

A  plan  for  the  improvement  of  the 

ministry 390 

Preachers'  Aid  Society 392 

Science  Hill  Female  Academy 392 

Resolution  requiring  preachers  to 
furnish  a  statement  of  the  date 
and  place  of  their  birth,  conver- 
sion, and  admission  on  trial 396 

Resolution  of  thanks  to  Thomas 

N.  Ralston 396 

Resolutions   in  reference  to  Au- 

gusta  College 397 

American  (''.Ionization  Society 398 

Resolution  in  reference  to  a  book 

ofmemoirs 398 

Transylvania  1  "Diversity  tendered 

to  the  Kentucky  Conference 400 

American  Bible  Society 406 

Edmund  W.  Sehon 407 

Admissions  on  trial 109 


Contents 


13 


PAOE 

Locations ■  ••—•• *^ 

Death  of  Absalom  Hun, 4 

Death  of  Alexander  Robinson....      liu 
Death  of  Henry  N.  Vandyke. 

Death  of  William  D.  Mmga 

Missionary  collections 

Jonathan  Stamper 

William  M.  Grubbs 

Henry  E.  Pilcher 

Walter  Shearer 

William  C.  Atmore 

William  M.  Crawford 

Revival  in  Shannon  circuit 

Revival  in  Covington ........•••• 

Revival  in   Mount  Carmel,  Tans 

Circuit •• .'.' 

Letter  from  John  -lames. 4dU 

Letter  from  Benjamin  1 .  Crouch.,  431 

Revivals  in  Lexington  District 435 

John  Collins  Hardy..... ■■■ ••-•  *» 

Revival  in  Mount  Sterling  Circuit,.  435 

Drummond  Welburn....: ;;'; 

Revival  in  Athens  Circuit 4- 

Thomas  Demoss ... ■• **" 

Revival  in  La  Grange  Circuit 44£ 

Revival  in  Jefferson  Circuit «- 

Dorsey's  Camp-ground 

HarfcwellJ.  Perry...... .•••••• 

Revival  in  Shelby  Circuit ... 

Nathanael  H.  Lee 

John  Sandusky • •••• 

Revival  in  Madison  Circuit. 

Old  Providence 

Eli  B.  Crain ....... 

Revival  in  Russell ville 

John  B.  Perry 

Warren  M.  Pitts 

Campbellism 

The  Baptist  Church 

Revival  in  Elkton Jg 

A  Campbellite  preacher 

Sermons  on  baptism 

Elder  Robert  Williams «>< 

A  challenge ™' 

A  debate *™ 

Jackson's  Purchase « «'» 

Revival  in  Paducah ......... 4C8 

Hickman,   Paducah,  and  Wades- 

boro  Circuits ... *» 

Increase  in  membership *7" 

CHAPTER  XL 

FROM  THE  SESSION  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CON- 
FERENCE   OF    1842   TO   THE   CONFERENCE 

of  1843. 

Conference  in  Lexington 

Bishop  Waugh  present 

Albery  L.  Alderson 

George  S.  Savage 

Revival  at  Shannon  Church 

Revival  at  Sardis 

Missionary  collections 

Death  of  Peter  O.  Meeks 

Death  of  Edwin  Roberts.. 

Revival  in  Morganfield  Circuit 


TAGE 

.  482 
.  483 


•111 
413 
11! 
Ill 
111 
423 
425 
425 
428 
430 
130 


443 
447 
448 
456 
458 
45'.) 
4(30 
462 
462 
464 
465 
46 


487 
487 
487 
487 
488 
488 
480 
480 
489 


Revival  in  Versailles  <  ircuil 
journal  of  Edwin  Roberts.... 

German  Mission  formed......... 48b 

Revivals  in  Maysville  District I 

i;,.N  ival  in  Germantown  circuit... 
Revival  in  Big  Sandy  Circuit....... 

Revival  in  Flemingsburg  Circuit. 

Revival  ai  Covington 

Revival  at  Cynthiana 

John  Miller •• ■••■■■ 

Revival  in  Millersburg  Circuit  ... 

John  G.  Bruce •••. .•••••■• 

Revivals  in  Lexington  District.... 

Revival  in  Versailles  Circuit.........  490 

Camp-meeting  near  Nicholasville.  490 

Revival  in  Georgetown... -; 

Revival  in  Athens  Circuit 4.1 

Revivals  in  Burlington  Circuit 491 

Revivals  in  Louisville ]■  \\ 

Charles  B.  Parsons •••■   ' ■  r 

Revival  in  Shepherdsville Circuit..  49o 

Revival  in  La  (-.range  Circuit 4Jo 

Samuel  D.  Baldwin ;  ' 

Samuel  L.  Robertson 

Revival  in  Owens  boro ;i 

Revival  atBurks's »» 

Revival  at  Pleasant  Grove *»7 

Seraiah  S.  Deering 

Napoleon  B.  Lewis : 

Revivals  in  Somerset  Circuit... 
Ransom  Lancaster 


497 

498 
502 

;,( 12 


Revival  at  Richmond. ... 502 

Revival  in  Madison  Circuit o0o 

Robinson  E.  Sidebottom 503 

Elkanah  Johnson ** 

Revival  at  Bowling  Green.... 505 

Revival  in  Scottsville  Circuit    ......  505 

Revivals  in  Hopkinsville  District..  b0o 
Revival  at  Ash  Spring  camp-meet- 

ing,  Logan  Circuit,. '  '/ 

Revival  at  Pleasant  Grove o06 

Revival  in  Hopkinsville  Circuit....  507 
Revivals  in  Barboursville  District..  507 

Jackson's  Purchase 507 

Mayfield  Circuit  Inn I- .............  m< 

Decrease  in  membership  in  Jack- 

son's  Purchase »"» 

Increase  in  membership ■■"• 

CHAPTER  XII. 

FROM  THE  SESSION  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CON- 
FERENCE OF  1843  TO  THE  CONFERENCE 
of  1844. 

Conference  at  Louisville 509 

Bishop  Morris ■.''• 

Distinguished  visitor-.... •;"■ 

The  American  Bible  Society.. 510 

The    W'rxtrrti   Christina  Artniccitr ->1" 

Resolution  to  promote  interestsoi 

the  Western  Boob  Concern 

The  Agent  and  delinquent  debtors  511 

The  temperance  question ■'■' 

The  slavery  question ■  •'•- 

Delegates  elected  to  the  General 
Conference  of  1844 •''- 


14 


Contents. 


PAGE 

Resolution  in  reference  to  a  his- 
tory of  Methodism  in  Kentucky..  512 

Admissions  on  trial 513 

Locations 513 

Superannuated  preachers 513 

Thomas  N.  Ralston 513 

Revivals  in  Mount  Sterling  Circuit..  515 

Camp-meeting  uear  Perryville 515 

A  convincing  argument 516 

AfFecting  incident -"'IT 

of  Richard  Corwine 518 

Death  of  John  Denham 518 

Death  of  Elihu  Green 518 

nary  collections 519 

John  Christian  Harrison 520 

Revival  at  Maysville 527 

'.<  orge  B.  Poage ■ 527 

Revival  at  Mount  Zion 528 

Campbellism  in  Brooksville 529 

Exciting  scene 529 

Revival  in  Brooksville 530 

Remarkable  conversion 530 

Revival  in  Augusta 532 

Revival  at  Minerva 532 

An  enri  ad 532 

Revival  at  Dover 533 

Revival  in  Germantown  Circuit 533 

Revivals  in  Shannon  circuit 533 

Revival  at  Nelson  Asbury's 533 

Revival  in  Covington 534 

Revival  in  Falmouth  Circuit 534 


PAGE 

Tin-  Lexington  Distri<  t 

Transylvania  University 

Burr  H.  Mc(  Sown 

William  H.  Anderson 

Revivals  in  Louisville  District.... 

W.  Crumbaugh 

George  S.  Gatewood 

Revival  at  Hardinshurg 540 

Revival  in  Hawesville  Circuit 540 

Revival  in  Hartford  circuit 540 

.  in  Big  Spring  Circuit 540 

Morganfield  District  formed 541 

Learner  B.  Davison 541 

Revival  in  Henderson  Circuit 542 

Revival  atSmithland 542 

Revival  at  Eddyville 54-2 

Revivals  in  Princeton  Circuit 543 

Revivals  in  Russellville  District ...  54:; 

:  Fisk 643 

Revivals  in  BowlingGreen  District  544 

Timothy  C.  Frogge 545 

John  S.  Magee 545 

RobertG.  Gardner 545 

Revivals  in  Barboursville  Circuit..  546 

Jackson's  Purchase 547 

Revival  in  Hickman  Circuit 547 

Revival  in  Mayfield  Circuit 547 

Revivals  in  Paducah  and  Y. 

boro  Circuits 517 

Decrease  in  membership 547 

Review 547 


Western  Cavalier 


WESTERN  CAVALIERS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

FKOM  THE  SESSION  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CONFEEENCE  OF 
1832  TO  THE  CONFEEENCE  OF  1833. 

Tranquil  amid  alarms, 

It  found  him  on  the  field, 
A  vet' ran,  slumb'ring  on  his  arms, 

Beneath  his  red-cross  shield. 
His  sword  was  in  his  hand, 

Still  warm  with  recent  fight, 
Ready  that  moment,  at  command, 

Through  rock  and  steel  to  smite. 

IT  was  Wednesday  morning,  October  the  seven- 
teenth, one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  thirty- 
two.  The  first  Western  cavalier*  still  lived.  The 
privations  he  had  suffered,  the  hardships  he  had 
encountered,  and  the  labor  he  had  performed,  in  the 
service  to  which  he  had  pledged  his  life,  had  so  far 

*  Benjamin  Ogden. 

(17) 


18  Western    Cavaliers. 

impaired  his  once  robust  constitution  that  he  was 
unable  longer  to  lead  to  victory,  or  to  mingle  in  the 
din  of  battle.  His  comrades-in-arms,  who  had 
caught  the  inspiration  of  his  ardor,  and  followed 
his  fortunes  amid  the  rains  of  summer,  the  frosts 
of  autumn,  and  the  snows  of  winter,  on  many'  a 
hard-fought  field,  were  sleeping  their  last  sleep  in 
the  bivouac  of  the  dead,  or  were  patiently  await- 
ing the  summons  that  would  release  them  from  a 
conflict  in  which  they  could  not  be  active  partici- 
pants. He  was  a  brave  cavalier.  For  forty  years 
he  had  been  in  the  thickest  of  the  light,  the  gallant 
leader  of  a  band  of  men  as  valiant  as  ever  un- 
sheathed the  sword  of  truth;  but  for  five  years  his 
name  had  stood  on  the  retired  list,  honored  for 
deeds  of  chivalry  and  daring.  His  keen  Jerusalem 
blade  still  hung  at  his  side.  "I  wish  to  die,"  he 
said,  "having  the  whole  armor  on,  contending  like 
a  good  soldier  for  the  prize."  The  frosts  of  nearly 
seventy  winters  had  bleached  his  brow,  and  his 
trembling  and  unsteady  step  indicated,  too  plainly, 
that  he  must  soon  receive  his  furlough,  and  enter 
upon  eternal  rest.  His  zeal,  however,  was  una- 
bated; and  the  abiding  interest  he  felt  in  the  cause 
for  which  he  had  battled  so  long  evinced  itself  in 
the  fire  that  flashed  from  his  eye  whenever  his 
fellow-soldiers  buckled  on  their  armor  for  the  light, 
or  returned  from  the  ensanguined  field  laden  with 
the  spoils  of  victory. 

To  arrange  for  a  year's  campaign,  more  than  one 
hundred  men  had  met  in  the  beautiful  village  of 
Harrodsburg,  in  the  State  of  Kentucky.     Some  of 


W estern    Cavaliers.  19 

them  were  veterans.  For  many  years  they  had 
bared  their  bosoms  to  the  storm,  and  been  familiar 
with  the  shock  of  battle.  They  had  often  felt  the 
clash  of  arms,  and  joined  in  the  shouts  of  victory. 
They  knew  what  privations  meant.  Ever  true  to 
the  ensign  beneath  whose  folds  they  fought,  they 
shunned  no  danger,  and  avoided  no  suffering. 
Their  names  were  Benjamin  Ogclen,  John  Littlejohn, 
James  Ward,  Barnabas  McIIenry,  Clement  L.  Clif- 
ton, John  Ray,  Zadok  B.  Thaxton,  Henry  McDaniel, 
Esau  Simmons,  Blatchley  C.  Wood,  Luke  P.  Allen, 
William  Atherton,  Samuel  Helms,  Joseph  B.  Power, 
Moses  Clampit,  and  Absalom  Hunt.  William 
Gunn,  Richard  Corwine,  George  W.  Taylor,  Benja- 
min T.  Crouch,  John  Johnson,  and  Marcus  Lindsey 
were  also  present.  They  were  in  the  prime  of  life. 
Their  prowess,  their  faithful  service,  their  aptitude 
and  devotion  to  the  cause  which  had  been  ennobled 
by  their  valor,  had  suggested  them  as  persons  well 
qualified  to  lead  to  battle  and  to  victory. 

In  this  company  there  were  younger  men.  They, 
too,  were  inured  to  hardship.  On  some  of  them 
might  have  been  seen  the  scars  received  on  many  a 
hard-fought  field — on  all,  the  marks  of  faithful  serv- 
ice. "They  counted  not  their  lives  dear,"  so  that 
they  might  be  good  soldiers  of  the  cross,  and 
achieve  success.     They  were  the  rank  and  file. 

There  were  those,  too,  who  had  come  to  enter  the 
ranks.  They  were  twelve  in  number.  Their  names 
were  Lorenzo  D.  Parker,  John  Nevius,  Joseph  W. 
Slmltz,  Richard  Deering,  William  G.  Bowman, 
Thomas    S.  Davis,   Foster   II.  Blades,   Herrington 


20  Western    Cavaliers. 

Stevens,  Richard  Holding,  James  H.  Brooking, 
William  McMahon,  and  Grilby  Kelly.  They  were 
in  the  rosy  morn  of  life.  Some  of  them  had 
already  encountered  hardships,  while  others  had 
never  confronted  danger.  One  of  them  was  a 
smooth-faced  hoy,  and  more  than  one  had  not 
reached  the  years  of  manhood. 

The  life  upon  which  these  young  men  were  en- 
tering was  not  one  of  pleasure  or  of  ease.  They 
were  not  to  tread  the  path  that  leads  to  fortune  or 
to  fame.  If  roses  bloomed  along  their  route,  they  had 
no  time  to  gather  them.  They  were  to  face  oppo- 
sition, and  to  become  accustomed  to  hardship;  or, 
if  unequal  to  the  privations,  sacrifices,  and  duties 
incident  to  the  life  of  toil  that  lay  before  them, 
they  must  retire  from  the  struggle.  Others  were 
present,  whose  names  will  adorn  these  pages,  whose 
deeds  of  chivalry  and  daring  shook  the  empire  of 
darkness  to  its  center,  and  who,  under  God,  recov- 
ered from  the  grasp  of  Satan  many  who  became 
valiant  soldiers  of  the  cross. 

John  Emory  was  a  gallant  leader — as  prompt  in 
action  as  he  was  wise  in  counsel.  To  him  had 
been  assigned  the  command  of  the  Western  division 
of  the  work.  His  presence  at  the  Harrodsburg 
Conference  contributed  much  to  the  advancement 
of  the  cause  to  which  these  men  had  pledged  their 
energies  and  their  lives.  Not  only  in  his  private 
counsels,  but  in  his  public  ministrations,  he  won 
upon  the  hearts  and  the  affections  of  all.  His 
sound  judgment,  his  polished  manner,  his  com- 
manding presence,  his  thorough    qualification    for 


Western    Cavaliers.  21 

the  duties  that  devolved  upon  him,  inspired  a  confi- 
dence which  was  the  harbinger  of  success  * 

The  business  which  had  called  these  men  to- 
gether was  of  no  ordinary  importance.  Their 
cause  was  a  common  one.  They  had  met  to  exam- 
ine, with  the  most  scrutinizing  care,  into  the  con- 
duct of  each  cavalier  during  the  year  which  was 
closing,  to  bestow  the  proper  meed  of  praise  on 
those  who  had  been  good  and  true,  and  to  censure 
any  who  had  not  come  up  to  the  full  measure  of 
duty.  They  had  assembled  to  recount  their  suffer- 
ings, to  tell  of  their  conflicts,  to  rejoice  in  the  vic- 
tories they  had  achieved,  and  to  devise  plans  for 
future  conquests  and  successes. 

A  few  years  before  and  Kentucky  was  a  wilder- 

*  Bishop  Emory  entered  the  itinerant  ministry  in  1810,  in 
the  Philadelphia  Conference.  Devoted  to  the  work  to  which 
he  was  divinely  called,  and  favored  with  an  intellect  of  the 
highest  order,  he  soon  attained  to  eminence  in  the  Church. 
In  1820  he  was  chosen  by  the  General  Conference  to  visit  the 
British  Conference  as  the  representative  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  the  United  States.  In  1824  he  was 
elected  Assistant  Agent,  and  in  1828  he  was  chosen  by  the 
suffrages  of  his  brethren  as  the  Senior  Agent,  of  the  Book 
Concern  in  New  York.  On  the  22d  of  May,  1832,  James  0. 
Andrew  and  John  Emory  were  elected  to  the  office  of  Bishop 
— the  former  having  received,  on  the  first  ballot,  one  hundred 
and  forty  votes,  and  the  latter  one  hundred  and  thirty-five-*- 
two  hundred  and  twenty-three  votes  having  been  cast.  The 
career  of  Mr.  Emory  as  a  Bishop  was  brief.  On  Wednesday, 
the  16th  of  December,  1835,  he  left  his  home  in  the  morning 
to  go  to  Baltimore,  on  business  connected  with  the  Church. 
On  his  way  he  was  thrown  from  his  carriage,  and  received  a 
wound  in  his  head,  of  which  he  died  about  seven  o'clock  in 
the  evening  of  the  same  day. 


22  AY  i:  stern    C  a  v  a  liers. 

wrapped  in  moral  night,  on  which  fell  scarcely 
a  single  ray  of  hope.  Through  privations,  suf- 
fering, and  want,  brave  cavaliers  had  toiled  and 
battled  until  the  powers  of  darkness  trembled,  and 
victory  was  perching  on  the  standard  of  the  cross. 
Much,  however,  was  yet  to  he  achieved.  Sin,  in 
hideous  forms,  walked  with  high  and  proud  steps 
through  the  land;  infidelity,  with  its  brazen  front, 
defied  the  power  of  truth.  The  strongholds  of  vice 
must  be  attacked,  its  very  citadel  must  be  demol- 
ished, and  light,  and  truth,  and  happiness  must 
pervade  this  grand  Commonwealth,  until  the  wil- 
derness and  solitary  place  shall  be  glad,  and  the 
desert  shall  rejoice  and  blossom  as  the  rose. 

To  accomplish  the  task  for  which  they  had  con- 
vened on  this  occasion  required  wisdom  and  pru- 
dence, no  less  than  skill  and  courage.  Bishop  Emory 
was  in  the  chair,  and  William  Adams  was  Secretaiy. 
The  roll  was  called,  and  all  responded  to  their 
names,  with  the  exception  of  Franklin  Davis,  who 
had  fallen  during  the  year.* 

To  institute  a  rigid  examination  into  the  labors 
and  conduct  of  these  men  for  the  previous  year  was 
one  of  the  first  duties  to  be  performed.  The  task 
was  a  delicate  one.  On  one  hand,  it  was  important 
that  no  cavalier  should  be  charged  unjustly  with 
t'ii lici-  a  want  of  promptness  or  fidelity  in  the  per- 

*Af    the   si— ion    of    the    Kentucky    Conference   of   1830, 

Franklin  Davis  was  admitted  on  trial,  and  appointed  to  the 

Cynthiana  Circuit;   in  1831    he  was  the  junior  preacher  on 

;inridge  Circuit,  and  died  during  the  year.     No  memoir 

of  him  was  furnished. 


Western   Cavaliers.  23 

formance  of  the  duties  assigned  him;  and  on  the 
other,  that  the  cause  for  which  they  were  bat- 
tling should  not  suffer  from  either  the  inefficiency 
or  negligence  of  those  to  whom  it  had  been  in- 
trusted.* 

In  the  examination  of  character  it  was  necessary 
to  ascertain  whether  any  who  had  been  on  the  re- 
tired list,  from  either  the  infirmities  of  age  or 
sickness,  were  able  to  reenter  the  effective  serv- 
ice.    We   have   already  mentioned   the    names  of 

*The  Kentucky  Conference,  at  this  time,  was  divided  into 
six  Districts,  each  one  under  the  supervision  of  a  Presiding 
Elder.  The  Districts  embraced  ten  or  twelve  stations,  each 
of  which  was  occupied  by  from  one  to  three  preachers.  No 
body  of  preachers  in  the  world  passes  through  an  ordeal  so 
rigid  as  do  Methodist  itinerant  preachers  in  the  examination 
of  their  characters,  which  takes  place  once  a  year.  Not  only 
the  propriety,  but  the  importance,  of  this  will  be  apparent 
when  it  is  known  that  our  preachers  are  appointed  to  fields 
of  labor  where  they  are  strangers,  the  people  to  whom  they 
are  sent  not  knowing  any  thing  of  them  only  that  they  have 
been  indorsed  by  the  Annual  Conference.  When  the  name 
of  a  District  is  called,  the  question  is  asked  by  the  Bishop 
whether  there  is  any  thing  against  the  Presiding  Elder.  This 
question  embraces  not  only  his  moral  character,  but  his  effi- 
ciency and  the  faithful  performance  of  the  duties  of  his  office. 
The  preachers  of  his  District  are  expected  faithfully  to  repre- 
sent him,  when,  after  the  approval  on  the  part  of  the  Confer- 
ence of  his  character  and  administration,  the  name  of  each 
preacher  in  his  District  is  called,  and  his  character  examined. 
The  following  were  the  names  of  the  Districts  and  of  the 
Presiding  Elders  at  this  time :  Kentucky  District,  William 
Gunn;  Augusta  District,  Richard  Corwine;  Rockcastle  Dis- 
trict, George  W.  Taylor;  Ohio  District,  Benjamin  T.  Crouch; 
Green  River  District,  John  Johnson;  Cumberland  District. 
Marcus  Lindsey. 


24  Western    Cavaliers. 

those  who  had  been  excused  from  labor  the  previous 
year. 

The  name  of  Benjamin  Ogden  was  first  called. 
There  is  nothing  more  trying  to  a  soldier,  whose 
courage  never  has  been  called  in  question,  than  to 
listen  to  strains  of  martial  music  inviting  his  com- 
rades to  arms  and  to  duty,  and  he  not  be  able  to 
engage  in  the  strife.  To  hear  the  sound  of  the  fife 
and  drum,  and  to  see  the  ensign  beneath  whose 
folds  he  had  fought  and  conquered  thrown  to  the 
breeze,  and  yet  not  to  be  allowed  to  buckle  on  his 
armor,  is  a  position  that  no  brave  man  can  envy. 
The  name  of  Benjamin  Ogden  was  the  synonym  of 
courage  and  of  suffering.  No  cavalier  had  preceded 
him  in  the  West.  He  had  alone  traversed  its  wilds, 
had  swum  its  rivers,  had  encountered  difficulty  and 
danger,  and  had  met  and  conquered  many  a  foe;  and 
then  on  the  green-carpeted  earth  had  laid  him  down 
to  rest  and  sleep,  with  no  covering  save  the  deep 
blue  sky.  When,  in  1786,  just  forty-six  years  be- 
fore, he  came  to  the  West,  but  few  rallied  to  his 
standard;  the  sound  of  his  bugle-horn  arrested  here 
and  there  a  solitary  wanderer.  He  was  young, 
active,  and  strong,  capable  of  endurance,  and  willing 
to  perform  the  arduous  duties  assigned  him.  Old 
age,  however,  had  crept  upon  him,  until  he  could 
only  watch  the  camp-fires,  and  join  in  the  shout  of 
victory;  still  there  is  much  to  gladden  his  heart, 
and  cheer  his  declining  years.  One  hundred  and 
thirteen  brave  and  gallant  men  are  contending  for 
the  truth  where  he  had  stood  alone,  while  twenty- 
six  thousand  nine  hundred  and  eighty-seven  men 


Western    Cavaliers.  25 

and  women  adhered  to  the  cause  to  which  his  life 
had  been  devoted. 

"Nothing  against  Benjamin  Ogden,"  was  the 
prompt  response  of  the  officer  in  charge  of  the  Dis- 
trict in  which  he  resided.  "For  many  years  he  has 
gone  in  and  out  among  us,  occupying  the  front 
ranks,  and  leading  to  battle  and  to  victory.  Al- 
though no  longer  able  to  perform  effective  service, 
yet  his  devotion  to  the  cause  and  his  bright  example 
are  exerting  an  influence  little  less  than  did  the  he- 
roic labors  he  performed  in  the  strength  of  his  man- 
hood," was  the  testimony  in  his  favor.  His  char- 
acter was  passed. 

Another  name  was  called.  "  Is  there  any  thing 
against  Barnabas  McHenry?"  Mr.  McHenry  came 
to  the  West  in  1789,  three  years  later  than  Mr. 
Oo-den.  At  the  time  he  entered  the  service  in  Ken- 
tucky  there  were  only  five  cavaliers  besides  himself 
to  occupy  the  entire  State — Francis  Poythress,  James 
Haw,  Wilson  Lee,  and  Peter  Massie,  had  preceded 
him,  Avhile  the  name  of  Stephen  Brooks  appears  at 
the  same  time  with  his  own. 

Among  the  noble  men  who  battled  for  the  cause 
of  God  at  this  early  day4n  the  West,  no  one  bore 
himself  more  gallantly  than  did  Barnabas  McHenry. 
Panoplied  with  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus,  familiar 
with  the  doctrines  of  which  he  was  a  fearless  and 
able  advocate,  his  sword  gleamed  in  the  sunlight  on 
almost  every  hill-top  and  in  every  valley  in  Central 
Kentucky.  The  days  of  his  active  service,  however, 
had  been  numbered;  yet,  unwilling  to  repose  amid 
the  trophies  ho  had  won,  or  the  laurels  he  had  gath- 


26  Western    Cavaliers. 

ered  on  so  many  hard-fought  fields,  we  find  him 
contributing  his  remaining  energies  to  the  ad- 
vancement and  progress  of  the  cause  which 
had  been  the  cherished  object  of  his  life.  "He 
can  no  longer  bear  the  exposure  of  the  field,  nor 
even  stand  on  guard;  but  there  beats  no  truer 
heart  than  his,"  was  the  answer  of  the  officer  in 
charge. 

The  names  of  John  Littlejohn,  James  Ward, 
John  Kay,  Zadoc  B.  Thaxton,  Henry  McDaniel, 
Samuel  Helms,  Absalom  Hunt,  Blatchley  C.  Wood, 
Esau  Simmons,  Luke  P.  Allen,  Clement  L.  Clif- 
ton, William  Atherton,  Moses  B.  Clampit,  and  Jo- 
seph B.  Power  were  called,  and  their  characters 
approved. 

JS~ot  one  of  these  tried  veterans  was  able  to 
reenter  the  service.  The  repose  from  labor  that 
had  been  granted  them  during  the  previous  year 
had  failed  to  restore  their  impaired  health  or  to 
prepare  them  to  engage  in  the  campaign  for  the 
coming  season. 

As  the  name  of  each  cavalier  was  called,  his  char- 
acter passed  in  review  before  his  fellow-soldiers, 
meeting  with  approval.  Of  the  number  who  had 
gone  out  one  year  before,  with  "sword  in  hand  and 
armor  on,"  not  one  had  deserted  his  post  or  dishon- 
ored his  flag.  Whether  in  the  crowded  city  or  in 
the  solitary  waste,  amid  mountain  fastnesses  or  in 
miasmatic  swamps,  in  palaces  of  wealth  or  the  cab- 
ins of  the  poor,  none  had  betrayed  the  noble  cause, 
or  been  untrue  to  the  colors  beneath  which  he  had 
enrolled.     Amid  snow,  and  hail,  and  storm,  they 


Western   Cavaliers.  27 

had  held  aloft  their  banner,  bearing  the  inspiring 
inscription,  "  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God ! "  They  had 
thrown  its  folds  to  the  breeze,  and  many  a  way- 
farer, attracted  by  the  shelter  it  offered  from  the 
storm,  sought  beneath  it  a  haven  and  a  rest.  It  is 
true  that  four  other  names  were  placed  on  the  re- 
tired list  because  of  failing  health,  and  six  with- 
drew from  the  cavalry  service  to  enter  another 
department,*  but  no  want  of  fidelity  stained  the 
escutcheon  of  a  single  cavalier. 

The  Conference  of  1832  was  in  several  respects 
of  greater  importance  than  any  of  its  predecessors. 
A  more  decided  stand  was  taken  against  the  use  of 
all  intoxicating  liquors  as  a  beverage;  the  Bible, 
Tract,  and  Sunday  -  school  societies  received  a 
stronger  indorsement  than  ever  before;  a  resolution 
was  passed  looking  to  the  inauguration  of  the  Mis- 
sionary Society  of  the  Kentucky  Conference ;f  and 
a  more  stringent  rule  was  adopted  in  reference  to 

*At  this  Conference  Thomas  G.  Reese,  James  L.  Greenup, 
Wilson  S.  McMurry,  Elijah  Knox,  Alexander  IT.  Stemmons, 
and  John  W.  F.  Tevis  located. 

j  The  following  resolution  was  adopted  by  the  Conference: 
"Ixesolccd,  by  the  Kentucky  Annual  Conference,  That  the  Presid- 
ing Elder  and  stationed  preacher  of  Louisville  Station  be 
directed  to  use  their  influence  to  form  a  Conference  Mission- 
ary Society  in  that  place,  auxiliary  to  the  Missionary  Society 
of  the  M.  E.  Church  at  New  York,  and  the  Presiding  Elders 
and  preachers  in  charge  be  required  to  use  their  utmost  efforts 
to  form  societies  auxiliary  to  said  Conference  Society;  and 
that,  as  soon  as  said  society  shall  have  been  formed,  it  shall 
be  the  duty  of  the  Presiding  Elder  or  preacher  in  charge  to 
furnish  the  same  for  publication  in  The  Christian  Advocate  and 
Journal." 


28  Western   Cavaliers. 

the  support  of  the  superannuated  preachers,  and 
widows  and  orphans. 

The  question  of  education  also  occupied  a  prom- 
inent place  in  the  deliberations  of  the  Conference. 
!Not  only  Augusta  College,  at  that  time  under  the 
joint  supervision  and  patronage  of  the  Kentucky 
and  Ohio  Conferences,  but  Science  Hill  Female 
Academy,  at  Shelbyville,  with  Mrs.  Julia  A.  Tevis 
at  its  head,  and  the  Bardstown  Female  Academy, 
at  Bardstown,  received  special  consideration.  An 
Agent  was  also  appointed  in  behalf  of  the  Coloni- 
zation Society. 

On  Saturday  morning,  the  fourth  day  of  the  Con- 
ference, the  venerable  Bishop  McKendree  appeared 
in  the  Conference-room.  His  once  erect  form  was 
bending  beneath  the  weight  of  labor  and  of  years. 
He  made  an  impressive  address  to  the  Conference, 
recommending  that  no  departure  from  the  old  land- 
marks of  Methodism  be  entertained  for  a  moment, 
and  that  constant  attention  to  the  doctrines  and 
discipline  of  the  Church  be  observed.  He  thou 
prayed  with  the  brethren,  after  which  he  bade 
them  an  affectionate  farewell.  It  was  his  valedic- 
tory. 

The  entire  session  was  distinguished  by  the  most 
perfect  harmony,  each  endeavoring  to  promote  the 
happiness  of  all  others. 

It  was  late  on  Tuesday  evening,  the  23d,  when 
the  Conference  adjourned. 

After  an  appropriate  address  by  Bishop  Emory, 
the  following  appointments  for  the  Conference-ye^ 
were  announced: 


Western   Cavaliers. 


29 


LEXINGTON  DISTRICT. 
William  Gunn,  P.  E, 

Lexington,  J.  James. 

Lexington  Circuit,  S.  Veach,  W.  Phil- 
ips. 

Frankfort,  H.  H.  Kavanaugh. 

Cynthiana,  G.  W.  Brush. 

Cynthiana  Circuit,  A.  Woolliscroft,  L. 
D.  Parker. 

Burlington,  J.  C.  Crow. 

r<>rt  William,  J.  King. 

Newport  and  Covington,  W.  P.  Mc- 
Knight. 

Falmouth,  J.  Whitaker. 

G.  C.  Light,  Agent  for  American  Colo- 
nization Socftety, 

AUGUSTA  DISTRICT. 
Richard  Tydings,  P.  E. 

Maysville,  M.  L.  Eades. 

Germantown,  F.  Landrum,  one  to  be 
supplied. 

Fleming,  R.  Corwine,  R.  Deering. 

Hinckstone,  D.  H.  Tevis,  G.  Kelly. 

Lewis,  T.  Waring. 

Little  Sandy,  R.  Bird,  J.  H.  Brooking. 

Big  Sandy,  W.  S.  Evans,  J.  D.  Bar- 
net. 

Highland,  W.  Cundiff. 

J.  Tomlinson,  President  of  the  Augus- 
ta College. 

H.  B.  Bascom  and  B.  H.  McCown, 
Professors  in  Augusta  College. 

HARRODSBURG   DISTRICT. 
William  Adams,  P.  E. 

Mount  Sterling,  H.  S.  Duke. 

Mount  Sterling  Circuit,  J.  F.  Young, 
one  to  be  supplied. 

Madison,  J.  Beatty,  R.  Holding. 

Danville  and  Harrodsburg,  W.  Hol- 
man. 

Mount  Vernon,  R.  J.  Dungan. 

<  lumberland,  C.  Babbit,  one  to  be  sup- 
plied. 

Winchester,  CM.  Holliclay,  J.  Nevius. 

Danville  Circuit,  M.  Jamieson,  M.  M. 
Cosby. 


LOUISVILLE   DISTRICT. 
Benjamin  T.  Crouch,  P.  E. 

Shelby,  S.  Harrison,  T.  P.  Farmer. 

Shelbyville  and  Brick  Chapel,  M. 
Lindsey. 

Taylorsville,  J.  Williams. 

Jefferson,  I.  Collard,  J.  W.  Schultz. 

Louisville,  E.  Stevenson,  J.  Stam- 
per. 

Breckinridge,  W.  Helm,  F.  H.  Blades. 

Yellow  Banks,  T.  P.  Vance. 

Hartford,  R.  Y.  McReynolds,  S.  Har- 
ber,  sup. 

Newcastle,  J.  Marsee,  L.  Campbell. 

J.  Tevis,  Superintendent  of  Shelby- 
ville Female  Academy. 

HOPKINSVILLE  DISTRICT. 
John  Johnson,  P.  E. 

Bowling  Green,  T.  H.  Cropper. 

Bowling  Green  Circuit,  J.  G.  Ward,  R. 
F.  Turner. 

Russellville,  H.  J.  Evans. 

Logan,  D.  S.  Capell,  H.  Stevens. 

Hopkinsville,  T.  W.  Chandler. 

Christian,  N.  G.  Berryman,  J.  Red- 
man. 

Greenville,  I.  Malone,  E.  Sutton. 

Livingston,  W.  B.  Landrum,  one  to  be 
supplied. 

Henderson,  A.  Long,  B.  Farris. 

GREEN3BURG  DISTRICT 
George  W.  Taylor,  P.  E. 

Glasgow,  T.  H.  Gibbons,  W.  McMa- 
hon. 

Elizabeth,  B.  Henry,  W.  G.  Bowman. 

Bardstown  and  Elizabethtown,  W. 
Fagg. 

Salt  River,  S.  Lee,  H.  Evans. 

Lebanon,  J.  Sandusky,  T.  Hall. 

Green  River,  H.  Crews,  H.  J.  Perry, 
T.  Lasley,  sup. 

Wayne,  J.  Sutton,  one  to  bo  sup- 
plied. 

Somerset,  J.  C.  Harrison,  T.  S.  Davis. 

W.  M.  McReynolds,  Superintendent  of 
Bardstown  Female  Academv. 


30  Western   Cavaliers. 

In  a  Conference  of  Methodist  preachers  there  is 
a  degree  of  moral  heroism  nowhere  else  to  be  found. 
A  body  of  ministers,  whose  wives  and  children  are 
to  them  dearer  than  life,  voluntarily  surrendering 
their  right  to  select  their  fields  of  ministerial  labor, 
referring  the  whole  question  of  their  appointments 
to  the  Bishop  and  his  council,  and  cheerfully  going 
wherever  they  are  sent,  whether  to  city  or  country 
— nearly  always  among  strangers,  and  often  with  a 
poor  prospect  of  support — affords  a  sublime  "  spec- 
tacle unto  the  world,  and  to  angels,  and  to  men." 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  above  list  that  the  Ken- 
tucky Conference  contained  at  this  date  six  Dis- 
tricts, embracing  fifty  -  seven  separate  charges,  to 
which  eighty-four  preachers  were  appointed.*  Be- 
sides these,  George  C.  Light  was  appointed  Agent 
for  the  American  Colonization  Society;  John  Tevis, 
Superintendent  of  Shelby ville  Female  Academy; 
William  M.  McReynolds,  Superintendent  of  Bards- 
town  Female  Academy ;  and  Joseph  S.  Tomlinson, 
Henry  B.  Bascom,  and  Burr  H.  McCown,  the  first 
as  President,  and  the  other  two  as  Professors,  in 
Augusta  College — making  a  total  of  ninety  preach- 
ers in  the  effective  work,  including  Thomas  Lasley 
and  Stephen  Harber,  who  were  supernumeraries. 
In  addition  to  these,  there  were  nineteen  preachers 
on  the  superannuated  list,  making  a  grand  total  of 
one  hundred  and  nine. 

At  this  early  period  the  Kentucky  Conference 
could  boast  of  a  constellation  of  great  men  in  the 
ministry  whose  peers  have  seldom  been  found  in 
*  The  six  Districts  are  embraced  in  this  calculation. 


Western    Cavaliers.  31 

any  body — their  superiors,  never.  In  charge  of 
the  Districts  were  the  strong-minded  Gunn,  the 
sweet-spirited  Tydings,  the  unostentatious  Adams, 
Crouch  the  logician,  the  eccentric  yet  gifted 
Johnson,  and  the  plain,  pure-hearted  Taylor;  while 
Bascom,  Tomlinson,  McCown,  Kavanaugh,  Light, 
Eades,  Landrum,  Corwine,  Duke,  Holliday,  Lindsey, 
Jamieson,  Collard,  Stevenson,  Stamper,  and  Tevis, 
would  have  adorned  any  pulpit  in  any  age. 

On  Wednesday  morning,  October  the  24th,  the 
members  of  the  Conference  took  leave  of  the  fam- 
ilies where  they  had  been  hospitably  entertained, 
and,  mounting  their  horses,  started  to  their  new 
fields  of  labor.  How  diversified  the  stations  to 
which  they  were  appointed!  Some  were  sent  to 
the  crowded  city,  some  to  the  pleasant  village,  some 
to  beautiful  rural  districts,  some  to  large  and 
laborious  circuits,  and  some  to  poor  and  humble 
mountaineers — but  all  where  sinners  lived,  to  whom 
the  tidings  of  a  Redeemer's  love  must  be  pro- 
claimed. 

The  appearance  of  Asiatic  cholera  in  the  Old 
World  excited  fearful  apprehensions  in  the  minds 
of  thousands  in  this  country,  and,  as  it  made  its 
advances  toward  the  United  States,  the  stories  of  the 
desolation  that  marked  its  path  made  many  a  face 
turn  pale.  In  the  autumn  of  1832  it  reached  the 
city  of  Louisville,  and,  while  the  Conference  was 
still  in  session,  bore  hundreds  to  the  grave.  This 
sad  reality  made  a  profound  impression  on  the 
minds  of  the  members  of  the  Conference,  and  they 
recognized  it  by  the  passage  of  a  suitable  preamble 


32  W  E  S  T  £  II  N     C  A  V  A  L  I  E  11  S  . 

and  resolutions,*  observed  the  Saturday  of  their 
session  as  a  day  of  humiliation    and    prayer,  and 

appointed  Jonathan  Stamper  to  deliver  a  sermon 
on  the  occasion.f 

In  taking  leave  of  each  other,  many  felt  that  they 
would  not  all  meet  again  on  this  side  the  last  river, 
but  contemplated  a  happier  meeting  in  a  world  of 
light,  and  love,  and  joy. 

The  year  upon  which  these  men  were  entering 
was  destined  to  be  a  year  of  suffering  and  of  toil. 

*  Whereas,  the  Asiatic  cholera  has  at  length  visited  our 
borders,  and  is  now  carrying  forward  the  work  of  death  in 
one  of  our  most  populous  cities,  as  well  as  in  other  important 
sections  of  our  work;  and  whereas,  we  regard  it  as  a  dispen- 
sation of  Divine  justice  in  consequence  of  our  national  and 
individual  sins;  and  believing  it  to  be  our  duty,  in  all  such 
visitations,  to  humble  ourselves  before  the  Most  High,  there- 
fore, 

Resolved,  by  the  Kentucky  Annual  Conference,  That  we  will 
observe  Saturday,  the  19th  inst.,  as  a  day  of  humiliation  and 
prayer,  and  that  Brother  Stamper  be  requested  to  deliver  a 
discourse  on  the  occasion,  at  three  o'clock,  in  the  M.  E. 
Church  in  this  place. 

And  be  it  farther  resolved,  That  we  set  apart,  as  a  day  of 
solemn  fasting  and  prayer  throughout  the  bounds  of  this 
Conference,  the  first  Friday  in  November  next,  and  that  the 
members  of  this  Conference  be  directed  to  use  their  utmost 
efforts  to  have  the  above  resolution  carried  into  effect  in  their 
respective  circuits  and  stations. 

f  At  this  Conference  Bishop  Emory  proposed  to  send  Marcus 
Lindsey  to  Louisville.  Mr.  Lindsey  expressed  a  preference 
for  Shelbyville,  and  offered  as  the  reason  that  he  had  strange 
apprehension  in  reference  to  the  cholera,  and  that  Shelby- 
ville had  not  been,  and  probably  would  not  be,  visited  by  it. 
Shelbyville  was  terribly  scourged  in  1833. 


Western    Cavaliers.  33 

The  fearful  cholera,  whose  presence  had  created  so 
much  alarm,  and  was  still  carrying  desolation  to 
many  a  home,  might  subside,  but  in  tenfold  fury  it 
would  return  the  following  season,  and  shroud  in 
gloom  hamlet,  village,  and  city;  Churches  in  many 
] daces  would  be  more  than  decimated,  and' men  who 
for  years  had  led  the  Israel  of  God  to  victory  would 
fall  victims  to  the  scourge.  At  no  Conference  had 
brethren  separated  with  sadder  hearts. 

This  year,  however,  so  replete  with  suffering  and 
loss,  would  be  crowned  with  extraordinary  revivals 
of  religion,  without  a  parallel  in  the  annals  of  the 
past. 

In  entering  upon  a  new  field  of  ministerial  labor 
a  Methodist  preacher  enjoys  an  advantage  unknown 
to  the  pastorate  of  any  other  Church.  Indorsed  by 
the  Conference  of  which  he  is  a  member,  it  is  but 
seldom  that  he  meets  with  other  than  a  kind  recep- 
tion among  the  people  whom  he  is  appointed  to 
serve.  He  may  be  young  and  without  experience, 
or  he  may  be  a  stranger,  yet  he  finds  a  warm 
place  in  the  hearts  of  the  people  of  his  charge;  and 
hence  he  is  at  once  prepared  to  devise  plans  for  suc- 
cess in  his  high  and  holy  calling. 

The  first  round  of  quarterly  meetings  in  the  sev- 
eral Districts  evinced  more  than  an  ordinary  con- 
cern on  the  subject  of  religion.  An  awakening 
was  felt  in  several  sections  of  the  work,  and  in  some 
of  the  charges  the  gentle  shower  which  precedes 
the  full  rain  had  fallen  upon  the  Church.  In  the 
Lexington  District,  the  Church  in  Lexington  was 
considerably  revived  under  the  ministry  of  John 
2* 


34  Western   Cavaliers. 

James,  a  zealous  preacher  of  the  gospel,  while  the 
Church  in  Frankfort,  of  which  Hubbard  H.  Kava- 
naugh  was  pastor,  enjoyed  some  refreshing  showers 
of  grace.  In  the  Augusta  District,  the  Church  in 
Maysville  had  some  prosperity,  through  the  labors 
of  Martin  L.  Eades,  while  Mount  Sterling  and  Har- 
rodsburg,  in  the  Harrodsburg  District — the  former 
with  Henry  S.  Duke  in  charge,  and  the  latter  served 
by  William  Ilolman — were  favored  with  interesting 
revivals  of  religion. 

The  Church  in  Louisville,  in  the  Louisville  Dis- 
trict, to  which  Edward  Stevenson  and  Jonathan 
Stamper  had  been  appointed,  realized  times  of  re- 
freshing from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  while,  in 
the  Hopkinsville  District,  the  labors  of  Henry  J. 
Evans,  the  faithful  pastor  at  Eussellville,  were  great- 
ly blessed. 

Besides  these,  occasional  showers  of  grace  were 
falling  upon  the  Church  in  different  places — indices 
of  a  wide-spread  revival  of  the  work  of  God.  The 
spring  of  1833  opened  favorably.  All  along  the 
line  the  Presiding  Elders  had  sounded  the  tocsin, 
and  Qwry  man  was  at  his  post.  Men  and  women 
in  every  community  were  reflecting  seriously  upon 
the  subject  of  religion,  and  the  impression  obtained 
that  there  would  be,  throughout  the  Commonwealth, 
a  general  revival  of  the  work  of  God.  In  the  sev- 
eral Districts  revivals  broke  out  so  nearly  at  the 
same  time  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  decide  where 
the  work  began.  In  the  Lexington,  Cynthiana,  and 
Port  William  Circnits,  in  the  Lexington  District; 
in  the  Germantown,  Hinckstone,  Fleming,  and  Lit- 


Western   Cavaliers.  35 

tie  Sandy  Circuits,  in  the  Augusta  District;  in  the 
Madison,  Danville,  Cumberland,  Winchester,  and 
Mount  Sterling  Circuits,  in  the  Harrodsburg  Dis- 
trict; in  the  Breckinridge  and  Newcastle  Circuits,  in 
the  Louisville  District;  in  the  Henderson,  Christian, 
Logan,  and  Bowling  Green  Circuits,  in  the  Hop- 
kinsville  District;  and  in  the  Glasgow,  Salt  River, 
Lebanon,  and  Green  River  Circuits,  in  the  Greens- 
burg  District,  the  work  began  early  in  the  spring, 
and  continued  throughout  the  summer. 

In  several  other  charges,  although  favored  with  no 
general  revival  of  religion,  sinners  were  awakened 
and  converted  to  God.  Late  in  the  spring  of  1833  the 
cholera  reappeared,  and  in  the  most  malignant  form 
visited  many  portions  of  the  State.  Louisville, 
Shelbyville,  Cynthiana,  and  many  other  towns,  were 
almost  depopulated  by  this  fearful  scourge.  It 
swept  through  the  country,  and  many  a  home,  in 
the  morning  cheerful  and  happy,  was  clad  in  mourn- 
ing before  the  stars  shone  out. 

In  Cynthiana,  several  of  the  best  members  of  the 
Church  were  stricken  down,  yet,  under  the  pastoral 
care  of  George  W.  Brush,  a  young  preacher,  the 
membership  in c reased. 

In  the  Big  Sandy  Circuit,  in  the  Augusta  Dis- 
trict; in  the  Greenville  and  Livingston  Circuits, 
and  Bowling  Green  Station,  in  the  Hopkinsville 
District;  and  in  the  Wayne  and  Somerset  Circuits, 
in  the  Greensburg  District,  many  were  added  to  the 
Church.  Indeed,  so  general  were  the  revivals  dur- 
ing this  year  that  only  seven  charges  in  the  Confer- 
ence failed  to  report  an  increase  in  the  membership 


36  Western   Cavaliers. 

— the  Mount  Vernon  Circuit,  in  the  Harrodsburg 
District;  the  Shelby,  the  Yellow  Banks,  and  the 
Hartford  Circuits,  in  the  Louisville  District;  the 
Hopkinsville  Station,  in  the  Ilopkinsville  District; 
and  the  Elizabeth  Circuit,  in  the  Greensburg  Dis- 
trict. From  the  Shelbyville  and  Brick  Chapel  Sta- 
tion no  change  is  reported  in  the  membership  from 
the  previous  year.* 

It  is  proper  to  state  that  as  early  as  1820  mis- 
sionaries were  appointed  from  the  Tennessee  Con- 
ference to  that  portion  of  Kentucky  known  as 
Jackson's  Purchase.  Hezekiah  Holland  and  Lewis 
Garrett,  men  distinguished  for  their  piety  and  zeal, 
were  the  first  Methodist  preachers  to  bear  the 
tidings  of  a  Redeemer's  love  to  that  section  of  the 
State.  Mr.  Holland  remained  in  the  itinerant  ranks 
but  a  short  time.  The  exposure  and  arduous  duties 
of  his  office  were  more  than  equal  to  his  strength ; 
hence,  in  1822,  he  located.  During  the  brief 
period  of  his  ministry  he  was  not  only  faithful,  but 
eminently  successful.  Lewis  Garrett  had  preceded 
his  colleague  in  the  Conference  two  years.  He  had 
been  identified  with  the  fortunes  of  Methodism  in 
Kentucky  at  an  earlier  period,  having  been  ap- 
pointed to  the  Cumberland  Circuit,  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  years.  In  entering  upon  their  work 
in  the  Purchase,  difficulties  such  as  are  common  in 
new  and  sparsely -settled  communities  confronted 
them.    Without  church-edifices  of  even  the  plainest 

*The  pastor  of  the  Church  died  during  the  year,  and.  no 
report  having  been  furnished  the  Conference,  the  statistics 
of  the  former  year  were  recorded. 


Western    Cavaliers.  37 

structure,  they  carried  the  gospel  to  the  homes  of 
the  people,  and  reported  at  the  ensuing  Conference 
one  hundred  and  forty-two  white  and  three  colored 
members. 

In  this  new  and  interesting  field,  in  Avhich  Meth- 
odism was  destined  to  act  so  prominent  a  part,  these 
faithful  men  were  succeeded  by  William  B.  Carpen- 
ter, a  young  man  just  admitted  on  trial,  who  was 
appointed  to  the  Hickman,  and  Benjamin  T.  Crouch 
and  Lewis  Parker  to  the  Sandy  River  Circuit,  lying 
partly  in  Kentucky  and  partly  in  Tennessee — Mr. 
Garrett  presiding  over  the  District.  Considerable 
success  crowned  the  labors  of  Mr.  Carpenter;  while 
on  the  Sandy  River  Circuit,  under  the  ministry  of 
Benjamin  T.  Crouch  and  Lewis  Parker,  many  were 
converted  and  added  to  the  Church.* 

John  Kesterson  became  an  itinerant  in  1818,  and 
traveled  that  year  the  Tuskaloosa  Circuit,  with  the 
gifted  Thomas  D.  Porter  as  his  Presiding  Elder. 
In  1819  his  field  of  labor  was  the  Lee  Circuit,  on 
the  waters  of  the  Holston ;  in  1820  he  was  appointed 
to  the  Sequatchie  Valley  Circuit,  under  the  leader- 
ship of  the  eccentric  Axley;  and  in  1821,  with 
John  Tevis  as  his  Presiding  Elder,  he  traveled  the 
Ashe  Circuit,  in  the  Holston  District.  Faithful  in 
these  several  fields  of  labor,  in  1822,  with  Nathan 
L.  Norvall   for  his  colleague,  he  was  sent   to   the 

*  In  his  diary,  in  possession  of  the  author,  Mr.  Crouch  says, 
referring  to  the  year  he  spent  on  Sandy  River  Circuit:  "Sev- 
eral new  Societies  were  organized,  classes  established  the 
previous  year  revived  and  increased,  two  large  circuits  formed, 
and  the  whole  work  left  in  a  prosperous  condition." 


38  W estebn    Cavaliers. 

Hickman  Circuit.  His  colleague,  Mr.  Xorvall,  had 
been  an  itinerant  but  one  year,  and  had  traveled  the 
Richland  Circuit.  At  the  following  Conference  we 
have  no  report  from  the  Hickman  Circuit,  hence 
we  are  unable  to  give  the  result  of  the  labors  of 
these  men. 

At  the  Conference  of  1823  the  name  of  the  Hick- 
man Circuit  disappears  from  the  roll,  having  prob- 
ably been  connected  with  some  other  charge. 

In  1824,  the  veteran  Ogden  was  appointed  from 
the  Kentucky  Conference  to  the  Tennessee  Mission, 
which  embraced  the  most,  if  not  all,  of  Jackson's 
Purchase,  in  both  Tennessee  and  Kentucky.  At 
the  close  of  the  year  Mr.  Ogden  reported  one  hun- 
dn  I  and  seventy-five  white  and  five  colored  members. 
At  the  session  of  the  Kentucky  Conference  in  1825 
Green  River  District  included  Jackson's  Purchase. 
At  the  same  time  the  name  of  the  Tennessee  Mis- 
sion disappears  from  the  list,  and  is  substituted  by 
the  Clarke's  River  Circuit,  Thomas  A.  Morris,  after- 
ward Bishop  Morris,  had  charge  of  the  District,  and 
John  S.  Barger  and  James  L.  Greenup  were  the 
preachers.  At  the  Conference  of  1826  two  hundred 
and  ( ighty-eight  white  and  six  colored  members  were 
reported.     Bishop  Morris*  says: 

"In  1825  my  District  embraced  that  part  of  Ken- 
tucky west  of  the  Tennessee  River,  which  was  then 
all  in  one  circuit,  called  Clarke's  River,  of  which 
John  S.  Barger  was  preacher  in  charge.  We  were 
not  the  first  on  that  ground  after  the  Indians  left. 
Brothers  Crouch  and  Parker  had  been  there  form- 
*  "  Miscellany,"  pp.  241-244. 


Western    Cavaliers.  39 

ing  a  circuit  the  year  previous;  and  if  they  would 
speak  out  they  could  relate  scenes  of  suffering  suf- 
ficient to  cause  the  ears  of  some  readers  to  tingle. 
Still,  when  they  went,  the  settlements  were  '  few 
and  far  between,'  and  frequently  without  any  road, 
or  even  path,  from  one  to  the  other.  When  we 
wished  to  visit  a  neighborhood  fifteen  or  twenty 
miles  distant,  we  ascertained  as  near  as  we  could 
the  general  course,  and  struck  off  through  the 
woods  without  road  or  guide.  If  the  sun  was  visi- 
ble, we  steered  by  him,  and  if  not,  by  a  pocket- 
compass;  and  if  a  creek — too  deep  to  ford — ob- 
structed our  course,  we  had  our  choice  to  swim  or 
stay  on  our  own  side,  having  neither  boat,  bridge, 
nor  canoe.  Of  the  manner  of  overcoming  these 
obstructions  I  will  here  furnish  an  example  or  two. 
"At  the  close  of  a  camp  quarterly-meeting  in 
Clarke's  River  Circuit,  July,  1826,  the  small  streams 
were  much  swollen  by  reason  of  heavy  rains.  Soon 
alter  leaving  the  camp  we  had  to  encounter  a  small 
stream,  which  was  usually  some  three  rods  wide, 
but  at  that  time  spread  over  the  banks  and  much  of 
the  adjoining  low  ground.  However,  we  were  told 
that  by  going  to  the  Shallow  Ford,  above  the  forks, 
we  could  probably  ride  across  without  losing  bot- 
tom; but,  where  we  expected  a  shallow  ford,  we 
found  a  sheet  of  water  about  a  hundred  yards  wide, 
it  having  overflowed  its  banks,  with  a  rapid  current 
in  the  middle.  Our  company  consisted  of  George 
Richardson,  John  S.  Barger,  Alexander  H.  Stem- 
mons,  another  young  preacher  whose  name  I  have 
forgotten,  and  the  writer.     We  were  all  sound,  ex- 


40  Western   Cavaliers. 

cept  myself.  I  was  sick,  had  been  so  for  five  or  six 
days,  and  was  much  more  fit  to  he  in  bed  than  on 
horseback.  In  consequence  of  this  circumstance 
the  company  objected  to  my  swimming,  lest  the 
wetting,  after  taking  medicine,  might  prove  injuri- 
ous; but,  by  riding  in  mid -sides  to  the  horse,  I 
gained  the  large  end  of  a  great  tree,  which  had 
been  cut  down  so  as  to  fall  across  the  main  channel 
just  above  the  ford,  for  a  temporary  foot-bridge. 
Here  they  deposited  me  and  the  baggage  till  they 
should  swim  the  horses  over.  In  the  meantime, 
others  came  up  from  the  meeting,  forming  a  com- 
pany of  some  fifteen  in  all.  The  coming-out  place 
lay  rather  up  stream  from  us,  and  just  below  it,  we 
were  told,  the  bank,  then  under  water,  was  too 
steep  for  the  horses  to  rise  when  they  should  strike 
bottom.  To  avoid  this,  and  procure  a  sloping  bank 
to  rise  on,  they  selected  a  place  below,  where  the 
bluff  changed  sides;  so  that  after  riding  in  till  the 
horse  was  nearly  covered,  and  arriving  at  the  main 
channel,  he  suddenly  and  unexpectedly  to  himself, 
though  not  to  his  rider,  stepped  over  a  precipice, 
perhaps  ten  feet  high,  into  a  sweeping  current, 
where  horse  and  rider  were  violently  immerged,  but 
soon  emerged  some  distance  from  where  they  first 
disappeared,  and  presently  made  safe  landing.  In 
this  way  the  young  brethren  conveyed  their  own 
horses  over,  after  which  Richardson  and  Stemmons 
rode  for  the  whole  compairy,  securing  one  horse  and 
swimming  back  for  another,  making  several  trips 
each.  This  done,  Richardson  Led  me  over  the  chan- 
nel on  the  log:  and  leaving  still  between  us  and  the 


Western   Cavaliers.  41 

dry  ground  a  sheet  of  water  some  thirty  yards 
wide,  and  three  feet  deep,  he  deliberately  stepped 
in,  took  me  upon  his  shoulder,  and,  notwithstand- 
ing much  brush  and  drift-wood  were  on  the  way, 
placed  me  safely  on  solid  ground.  The  whole  was 
accomplished  in  a  few  minutes.  Here  we  parted 
with  all  but  our  own  company,  with  whom  we  first 
started  from  camp ;  and,  leaving  the  Shallow  Ford, 
our  way  was  clear  before  us  to  the  next  branch  of 
the  same  stream,  only  a  few  miles  distant. 

"  Our  second  crossing  was  like  to  prove  more  dif- 
ficult than  the  first,  having  an  equally  rapid  stream, 
without  the  advantage  of  any  log.  Having  ap- 
pointments ahead,  it  was  important  to  get  on  some- 
how or  other;  and,  after  a  short  consultation,  it  was 
thought  best,  on  account  of  my  condition,  to  head 
the  stream,  or  at  least  go  far  enough  up  to  ford. 
This  being  agreed  on,  we  made  the  attempt,  but 
were  so  much  embarrassed  by  quicksand,  especially 
where  the  ground  had  been  overflowed,  that  we 
soon  became  weary  of  it,  and  determined  to  cross, 
if  possible.  Finding  a  place  where  the  banks  were 
dry  on  both  sides,  the  water  being  there  confined 
within  its  usual  channel,  we  dismounted,  and  were 
consulting  about  the  mode  of  crossing,  when  Stem- 
mons  concluded  it  was  time  to  execute  as  well  as 
plan.  Fixing  his  large,  laughing,  blue  eye  on  a 
tall,  slim  hickory,  growing  on  our  side  of  the  creek, 
he  deliberately  began  to  ascend,  which  he  did  almost 
as  easily  and  rapidly  as  a  wild  bear  would  climb  a 
chestnut-tree  in  search  of  nuts.  When  he  had  left 
the  ground  about  forty  feet  below  him,  and  arrived 


42  Western   Cavaliers. 

where  the  sapling  had  scarce  strength  to  support 
him,  he  turned  on  the  side  next  to  the  stream,  held 
on  with  his  hands,  letting  his  feet  swing  clear,  and 
his  weight  brought  the  top  down  on  the  other  side, 
and,  with  the  assistance  of  another,  who  swam  over 
to  his  relief,  tied  the  limbs  fast  to  the  root  of  a  tree. 
This  bent  sapling  formed  an  arched  bridge  about 
forty  feet  long,  six  inches  wide,  and  elevated  in  the 
center  about  twelve  or  fifteen  feet  over  the  deepest 
of  the  turbid  stream,  on  which  we  crossed — astride 
— safely,  pushing  our  baggage  before  us,  and  resumed 
our  journey,  leaving  the  hickory  bridge  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  public. 

"  Such  were  our  facilities  for  crossing  in  those  days, 
when  we  had  help;  but,  when  alone,  there  was  often 
no  alternative  but  to  make  the  horse  swim  with  his 
rider  and  baggage,  and  trust  to  Providence  to  get 
safely  through.  And  such  were  the  difficulties  to 
which  Ave  were  accustomed  in  carrying  the  gospel 
to  the  poor,  in  the  new  countries,  then;  and  the 
same  are,  doubtless,  realized  now  by  many  of  our 
traveling  preachers  on  the  frontiers  of  the  work. 
Now,  for  such  work  as  this  I  would  rather  have  a 
half  a  dozen  such  young  preachers  as  those  above 
named  than  twenty  graduates  of  any  theological 
seminary  in  the  United  States.  A.  II.  Stemmons 
has  gone  to  his  reward,  and  John  S.  Barger  and 
George  Richardson  are  still  in  their  Master's  work, 
though  the  latter  has  been  for  many  years  much 
disabled  by  hemorrhage  from  the  lungs.  Peace  be 
with  them!" 

William    Cram  and  William   Cundiff  succeeded 


Western   Cavaliers.  43 

Barger  and  Greenup  the  following  year.  They 
were  zealous  young  men,  and  devoted  to  their  work. 
Their  labors  were  greatly  blessed.  Revivals  crowned 
their  ministry,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year  three 
hundred  and  eighty-five  white  and  six  colored  mem- 
bers were  reported  by  them  to  the  Conference. 

In  1827,  William  Brown  was  sent  alone  to  the 
Clarke's  River  Circuit.  The  Minutes  of  1828  report 
a  small  decrease  in  the  white  membership,  but  an 
increase  in  the  colored. 

At  the  General  Conference  of  1828  all  that  por- 
tion of  Kentucky  embraced  in  Jackson's  Purchase 
was  transferred  to  the  Tennessee  Conference;  hence, 
in  the  autumn  of  that  year,  we  find  the  Clarke's 
River  Circuit  in  the  Forked  Deer  District,  over 
which  Thomas  Smith  presided.  Mr.  Smith  was 
in  many  respects  a  remarkable  man.  Dr.  Rivers* 
says: 

"It  was  in  the  year  1828  that  I  met  for  the  first 
time  with  Thomas  Smith,  Presiding  Elder  of  the 
Forked  Deer  District,  Tennessee  Conference.  I  was 
but  a  boy.  My  father  had  but  recently  removed 
from  Franklin  county,  Tennessee,  and  had  settled  in 
Hardeman,  a  few  miles  west  of  the  town  of  Bolivar, 
and  not  far  from  Ebenezer  Church,  of  which  he 
became  a  member.  It  was  in  this  Church  that  I 
first  heard  a  sermon  from  the  lips  of  Thomas  Smith. 
He  was  a  man  of  robust  frame,  florid  complexion, 
and  with  hair  thinly  scattered  over  a  large,  round 
head.  At  the  time  of  which  I  write,  Ebenezer 
Church  was  torn  with  dissensions.  It  was  during 
*  Letter  to  the  author. 


44  Western   Cavaliers. 

the  controversy  which  resulted  in  the  formation  of 
the  Methodist  Protestant  Church.  The  Mutual 
Rights,  a  most  hitter  partisan  sheet,  assailed  the  Old 
Church  with  every  sort  of  weapon  known  to  eccle- 
siastical warfare.  The  Bishops  were  at  once  the 
butt  of  ridicule  and  the  objects  of  vituperation; 
the  itinerant  ministry  came  in  for  a  large  share  of 
obloquy;  the  entire  Constitution  of  the  Church 
must  be  changed,  the  Bishops  disrobed,  and  the  lay 
element  be  admitted  into  the  Conferences,  both 
Annual  and  General.  In  order  to  carry  out  these 
radical  measures,  a  Union  Society  had  been  formed 
in  Ebenezer  Church.  Some  of  the  most  prominent 
members  of  the  Church  belonged  to  it;  they  were 
men  of  talents,  piety,  and  wealth.  Under  the  direc- 
tion of  Mr.  Smith,  these  members  were  charged 
with  sowing  dissensions,  speaking  evil  of  ministers, 
etc.,  and  were  expelled  the  Church.  He  brought 
the  whole  force  of  his  character,  and  all  the  power 
of  his  administration,  against  those  whom  he  re- 
garded as  enemies  to  the  peace  of  the  Church.  He 
did  nothing  by  piecemeal.  He  carried  on  a  most 
relentless  war,  and  did  not  rest  until  the  offending 
members  were  cat  off  and  the  Church  purified.  As 
he  thought  of  this  heresy,  with  him  compromise 
was  cowardice,  and  cowardice  was  disaster  and  dis- 
grace. His  loyalty  to  the  Church  was  undoubted, 
his  courage  universally  admitted,  and  his  character 
as  a  warrior  was  fully  established.  He  determined 
to  crush  out  the  rebellion,  and  he  did  it  by  driving 
from  the  fold  some  of  his  best  members.  In  all  this 
he  was  thoroughly  conscientious,  and  was  fully  con- 


Western    Cavaliers.  45 

vinced  that  the  glory  of  God  and  the  good  of  the 
Church  were  promoted  by  throwing  overboard  from 
the  good  old  Methodist  ship  these  rebellious  mem- 
bers. 

"  In  the  meantime,  he  did  not  forget  his  great  work 
of  saving  souls.     His  District  extended  from  Flor- 
ence, Alabama,  to  Memphis,  Tennessee,  and  from 
La  Grange,  Tennessee,  to  Paducah,  Kentucky.     It 
included  the  whole  of  the  present  Memphis  Con- 
ference, together  with   several  counties   in   Middle 
Tennessee  and  North  Alabama.     It  required  him  to 
be  absent  from  home  more  than  four-fifths  of  his 
time.     The  country  was  new  and  rough;  the  roads 
were  in  many  places  impassable,  except  to  a  brave 
cavalier.     Alone  on  horseback  he  passed  through 
deep    and    gloomy   swamps,    and    across    frightful 
creeks,  muddy  sloughs,  and  dangerous  bayous.     He 
never  hesitated;  he  never  murmured.     He  was  ap- 
palled by  no  dangers,  and  he  shrank  from  no  obsta- 
cles.    His  frame  was  stalwart,  his  health  perfect, 
his   constitution  of  iron.     His  spirits  were  elastic, 
and  his  adventures  were  often  full  of  romance.     He 
seldom  failed  to  be  at  his  appointment.     He  was 
happy  in  the  hut  of  the  backwoodsman,  and  loved 
to  preach  the  gospel  in  the  log-cabin  of  the  hunter, 
or  beneath   the    shade   of   some   grand  old  forest. 
With  a  powerful  physical  frame,  great  capacity  for 
endurance,  a  stentorian  voice  that  sounded  like  the 
peals  of  a  clarion,  and  could  be  distinctly  heard  by 
thousands,  he  was  a  splendid  representative  of  the 
pioneer  Methodist  preacher.     His  early  education 
had  been  almost  entirely  neglected.     He  read  badly, 


46  Western   Cavaliers. 

and  his  orthography  was  wretched ;  he  could  not 

have  tau-lii  a  common  school  of  the  lowest  order. 
This  captain  of  the  hosts  of  Israel  could  not  have 
"been  a  champion  in  the  most  common  orthograph- 
ical tournament :  and  jet  he  was  a  man  of  vigorous 
intellect,  and  often  preached  with  great  power.  He 
was  great  at  a  camp-meeting;  he  was  here  a  general 
marshaling  his  forces.  He  kept  all  the  elements  in 
order;  he  ruled  with  an  iron  will  and  a  steady 
hand;  he  preached  with  great  pathos  and  power. 
His  appeals  to  the  unconverted  were  earnest,  and 
his  unstudied  eloquence  often  stirred  the  multitudes, 
and  brought  many  a  penitent  to  the  altar.  I  have 
known  him  to  have  more  than  a  hundred  conver- 
sions at  one  camp-meeting.  In  the  pulpit,  in  the 
altar,  in  the  tent,  and  in  the  grove,  he  was  a  worker. 
His  voice  always  clear,  his  faith  ever  strong,  and  his 
heart  always  in  the  work,  he  was  just  such  a  leader 
as  the  enthusiastic  young  men  delighted  to  follow. 

"I  have  said  that  his  spirits  were  elastic;  they 
were  sometimes  too  exuberant,  bordering  on  levity. 
In  the  pulpit,  he  was  grave  and  dignified;  out  of  it, 
he  was  full  of  mirth,  and  loved  a  hearty,  ringing 
laugh.  This  was  sometimes  spoken  against  by 
those  whose  displeasure  he  happened  to  incur.  For 
four  years,  with  a  salary  of  one  hundred  dollars  for 
himself,  and  the  same  for  his  estimable  wife,  and  a 
pittance  for  each  child,  he  traveled  over  this  exten- 
sive District,  preaching  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ.  He  took  great  interest  in  spreading  Meth- 
odist literature,  and  was  active  in  the  sale  of  our 
standard  books.     He  never  went  with  empty  saddle- 


Western    Cavaliers.  47 

bags.  Tic  felt  that  this  was  part  of  his  great  call- 
ing, and,  though  a  Presiding  Elder,  was  not  above 
selling  our  books;  and  while  his  voice  responded  to 
the  ax  of  the  woodman  and  the  rifle  of  the  hunter, 
his  richly-laden  saddle-bags  offered  the  writings  of 
Wesley  and  Clarke  to  all  that  were  able  to  purchase. 
After  awhile  lie  did  what  he  never  intended  to  do: 
he  located,  studied  law,  and  joined  the  Methodist 
Protestant  Church.  After  this  I  lost  sight  of  him. 
He,  however,  returned  to  his  first  love,  and  died  in 
peace  many  years  ago." 

The  Clarke's  River  Circuit  was  served  by  Nathan 
Johnson.  Under  his  ministry  the  Church  was 
greatly  blessed.  At  the  next  Conference  he  reported 
four  hundred  and  forty -two  white  and  seventeen  col- 
ored members. 

In  1829  William  M.  Smith,  who  had  traveled  two 
years,  and  William  W.  Phillips,  a  young  man  just 
admitted  on  trial,  were  appointed  to  Clarke's  River 
Circuit.  Under  their  ministry  the  membership 
continued  to  increase.  At  the  ensuing  Conference 
they  reported  four  hundred  and  eighty-nine  white  and 
fourteen  colored  members. 

In  1830  we  find  Thomas  Smith, who  had  traveled 
the  Forked  Deer  District  the  previous  year,  returned 
to  the  same  field,  and  three  preachers  sent  to  Clarke's 
River  Circuit.  The  appointment  of  so  many  men 
to  a  field  occupied  the  year  previous  by  a  solitary 
preacher  plainly  indicated  the  importance  of  the 
work  to  be  accomplished. 

This  section  of  the  State  of  Kentucky  was,  just 
at   this   period,   inviting   more   than    ordinary    at- 


48  Western   Cavaliers. 

tention.  Families  from  the  more  densely  popu- 
late. 1  sections  of  the  State,  as  well  as  from  other 
States,  attracted  thither  by  the  fertility  and  cheap- 
ness of  the  lands,  were  seeking  homes  in  this 
portion  of  Kentucky.  The  Presiding  Elder,  aware 
of  the  importance  of  meeting  the  growing  de- 
mands of  his  work,  asked  for  the  appointment  of 
Moses  S.  Morris,  Harris  G.  Joplin,  and  Duncan 
McFarlin  to  this  inviting  field.  Moses  S.  Morris 
had  been  in  the  itinerancy  two  years;  his  previous 
appointments  were  the  Winchester  and  Wolfe  Cir- 
cuits. Harris  G-.  Joplin  had  entered  the  Conference 
the  preceding  year,  and  had  traveled  the  Gibson 
Circuit;  while  Duncan  McFarlin  had  just  become 
an  itinerant.  Entering  upon  their  work  in  the 
spirit  of  the  Master,  these  faithful  ministers  of 
Christ  resolved  to  succeed.  The  gospel  was  preached 
by  them  with  commendable  zeal,  and  with  great 
simplicity,  winning  many  souls  to  Christ.  At  the 
close  of  the  year  the  white  membership  had  in- 
creased to  six  hundred  and  fifty-five,  although  only 
four  colored  members  were  reported. 

In  1824  two  of  the  most  remarkable  men  of 
American  Methodism  were  admitted  on  trial  into 
the  Tennessee  Conference  —  George  W.  D.  Harris 
and  Alexander  L.  P.  Green.  Without  the  advan- 
tages of  early  education,  both  soon  attained  to  emi- 
nence, and  became  giants  in  the  ranks,  and  for  nearly 
hall"  a  century  were  leaders,  the  one  in  the  Memphis 
and  the  other  in  the  Tennessee  Conference. 

George  W.  D.  Harris  was  born  in  Montgomery 
county.  North  Carolina,  January  25, 1797.     He  spent 


Western   Cavaliers.  49 

his  youth  and  early  manhood  as  a  prodigal  from  God, 
wandering  far  away  on  the  wastes  of  folly  and  of 
sin.  The  impressions,  however,  made  upon  his 
mind  and  heart  by  the  teachings  of  his  mother,  a 
woman  eminent  for  piety,  and  a  Methodist,  were 
never  effaced.*  All  along  the  pathway  of  vice  her 
instructions,  like  faithful  monitors,  rose  before  him, 
telling  him  of  a  better  life  and  a  happier  destiny. 
In  1821  he  attended  a  camp-meeting  at  Norvill's 
old  camp -ground,  in  Bedford  county,  Tennessee, 
where,  under  the  faithful  preaching  of  Benjamin 
Sewell,  he  was  powerfully  awakened.  Mourners 
were  invited  to  the  altar  for  the  prayers  of  the 
Church,  and  Mr.  Harris  was  among  the  first  to 
accept  the  invitation.  There,  while  pleading  for 
mercy,  he  was  soundly  converted  to  Gocl.f 

Impressed  with  the  conviction  that  he  was  divinely 
called  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  in  1824  he  re- 
ceived license  to  preach,  and  was  admitted  on 
trial  into  the  Tennessee  Conference.  In  1831  Mr. 
Harris  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Paris  District, 
which  embraced  the  Wadesboro  and  Hickman 
Circuits,  formed  from  the  Clarke's  Eiver  Circuit, 
lying  in  Kentucky.  He  had  traveled  the  Pond 
Springs,  the  Bedford,  the  Winchester,  the  Lincoln, 
the  Stone's  River,  and  the  Nashville  Circuits — the 
last-named  two  years. 

To    the    office   of    Presiding    Elder   Mr.    Harris 

*  His  father  did  not  join  the  Church  until  after  his  son  did. 

f  Mr.  Harris  was  married  at  the  time.     His  wife  had  been 
brought  up  by  Baptist  parents,  but  had  joined  the  Methodist 
Church. 
3 


50  Western    C  a  v  a  l i e  r s  . 

brought  not  only  a  ripe  experience,  gathered  from 
seven  years  of  arduous  toil  and  privation  on  large 
and  laborious  circuits,  but  a  commanding  presence, 
a  robust  constitution,  capable  of  much  endurance, 
an  herculean  intellect,  richly  stored  with  gems  of  re- 
ligious truth,  a  heart  sanctitied  to  God,  and  energy 
and  zeal  which  scarcely  knew  any  bounds.  No  man 
in  the  Tennessee  Conference  was  better  qualified  to 
be  a  leader  than  George  W.  D.  Harris.  Entering 
upon  the  work  of  his  extensive  District,  he  soon 
became  familiar  with  every  portion  of  it,  and  every- 
where his  presence  and  his  power  were  felt.  In  the 
pulpit,  in  the  Quarterly  Conference,  in  the  family 
and  social  circles,  he  exerted  an  influence  extending 
not  only  to  the  preachers  among  whom  he  was  a 
leader,  but  to  all  the  people. 

To  the  Wadesboro  Circuit  Robert  L.  Andrews 
and  Drury  Womaek  were  appointed,  and  Uriah 
Williams  and  Elias  R.  Porter  to  the  Hickman. 

Robert  L.  Andrews  had  been  a  traveling  preacher 
for  three  years,  having  entered  the  Conference  in 
1828.  Before  he  was  sent  to  Kentucky  he  traveled 
the  Duck  River,  the  Dickson,  and  the  Red  River  Cir- 
cuits. His  colleague  was  admitted  on  trial  in  1829, 
and  appointed  to  the  Cypress  Circuit.  His  name, 
however,  does  not  appear  in  the  Minutes  again  until 
1831,  when  we  find  him  the  junior  preacher  on  the 
AVadesboro  Circuit. 

The  name  of  Uriah  Williams  first  appears  on  the 
roll  of  traveling  preachers  in  1829.  His  first  ap- 
pointment was  to  the  Cypress  Circuit,  with  James 
McFerrin  as  his  Presiding  Elder.     In  1830  he  was 


Western   Cavaliers.  51 

sent  to  Cancy  Fork,  and  in  18-31  he  came  into 
Kentucky.  Elias  R.  Porter  had  just  been  admitted 
on  trial.  The  foundations  of  Methodism  had  been 
laid  by  faithful  men  who  had  preceded  them — 
classes  had  been  formed  and  Churches  organized; 
but  under  their  ministry  the  Church  attained  an 
influence  in  the  "Purchase"  it  had  not  known  be- 
fore. At  the  close  of  the  Conference-year  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty-one  white  and  thirteen  colored  mem- 
bers were  reported  from  the  Wadesboro  Circuit, 
and  four  hundred  and  five  white  and  five  colored  from 
the  Hickman. 

This  brings  us  up  to  the  period  where  this  volume 
opens. 

In  the  Tennessee  Conference,  the  gifted  and 
indefatigable  Harris  was  returned  to  the  Paris  Dis- 
trict, which  still  embraced  the  Hickman  and  Wades- 
boro Circuits,  in  Kentucky;  Charles  T.  Ramsey  and 
Arthur  Davis  were  appointed  to  the  Hickman  Cir- 
cuit, and  Hiram  M.  Glass  and  Calvin  Thompson  to 
the  Wadesboro  Circuit. 

Charles  T.  Ramsey  was  born  in  North  Carolina 
in  1794,  but,  before  he  attained  to  manhood,  he  re- 
moved with  his  parents  to  East  Tennessee.  At  a 
later  period  he  settled  in  Missouri,  where,  in  the 
twenty-seventh  year  of  his  age,  he  became  awak- 
ened to  a  sense  of  his  condition  as  a  sinner  through 
the  instrumentality  of  the  Methodist  ministry.  He 
joined  the  Church,  was  soundly  converted,  and  soon 
afterward  removed  to  the  Western  District  of  Ten- 
nesson where,  in  the  autumn  of  1829,  he  became  a 
traveling  preacher.     His  fields  of  labor  before  he  en- 


52  Western   Cavaliers. 

tered  Kentucky  were  the  Beach,  the  Hatchie,  and 
the  Gibson  Circuits.*  In  these  several  charges  he 
had  been  highly  acceptable  as  a  preacher,  as  well 
as  successful  in  winning  souls  to  Christ. 

Arthur  Davis  f  was  born  in  Stewart  county,  Ten- 

:;At  the  close  of  his  year  on  the  Hickman  Circuit,  Mr. 
Ramsey  was  transferred  to  the  Missouri  Conference,  which 
then  embraced  the  State  of  Arkansas,  and  was  appointed  to 
the  Mount  Prairie  Circuit,  where  he  was  eminently  useful. 
His  next  field  of  labor  was  the  Little  Rock  District,  which  he 
filled  two  years  with  great  acceptability.  He  was  appointed 
the  third  year  to  the  Little  Rock  District,  but  was  taken  sick 
during  the  session  of  the  Conference  in  Batesville,  and  died 
November  10,  1836.     His  end  was  triumphant. 

j  In  the  Western  Methodist,  several  years  ago,  Dr.  Rivers, 
after  giving  a  sketch  of  James  0.  Williams,  a  gifted  young 
preacher,  thus  speaks  of  Arthur  Davis:  "Altogether  unlike 
Williams  was  Arthur  Davis.  Williams  had  the  eloquence  of 
intellect  and  of  imagination,  Davis  the  eloquence  of  passion. 
Both  were  young  and  zealous,  and  commenced  preaching 
about  the  same  time.  Williams  was  much  the  more  highly 
cultivated  intellectually;  Davis  had  much  deeper  communion 
with  his  own  heart  and  with  his  God.  Davis  stirred  the 
people  by  his  deep  earnestness,  his  gushing  tears,  and  his 
intense  feeling.  He  sought  to  win  souls;  he  had  no  ambi- 
tion for  fame.  He  was  deeply,  painfully  conscious  of  his 
defects  of  education,  and  want  of  mental  training;  but  he 
could  not  turn  aside  from  his  great  work.  His  humility,  his 
prayerfulness,  his  sincere  and  earnest  piety,  and  his  vehe- 
mence of  passion,  carried  all  before  him.  'Ah!'  said  he  to 
me,  '  I  have  shed  a  bushel  of  tears  this  year  on  the  Hatehie 
Circuit.'  And  so  he  had.  He  literally  went  forth  weeping, 
bearing  precious  seed.  He  will  come  again,  bringing  his 
sheaves  with  him.  1  heard  Williams  preach,  and  his  sermon 
was  followed  by  such  stunning  applause  as  1  had  never  heard 
bestowed  upon  a  young  man;  I  heard  Davis,  and  his  sermon 
was  followed  by  a  hundred  mourners  in  the  altar.'' 


Western    Cavaliers.  53 

nessee,  February  17,  1811.  He  was  brought  up  un- 
der Baptist  influence,  but  took  but  little,  if  any, 
interest  in  the  subject  of  religion  until  he  was  well- 
nigh  grown,  when  he  was  awakened  under  the 
faithful  ministry  of  Richard  Hudson.  On  the  16th 
of  August,  1830,  he  was  converted  at  Manly's 
Chapel,  and  was  received  into  the  Methodist  Church 
by  Mr.  Hudson  on  the  following  day.  He  was 
licensed  to  preach  by  Thomas  Smith  in  1831,  and 
entered  the  traveling  connection  in  the  autumn  of 
the  same  year.  His  first  appointment  was  to  the 
Hatchie  Circuit,  where  he  was  eminently  useful. 
The  Hickman  Circuit,  to  which  he  was  next  ap- 
pointed, as  the  colleague  of  Mr.  Ramsey,  was  large, 
embracing  Hickman  and  a  portion  of  Graves  county, 
in  the  State  of  Kentucky,  and  extending  into  Obion 
and  Weakley  counties,  in  Tennessee. 

The  first  round  of  appointments  was  filled  by  Mr. 
Davis.  "What  is  now  known  as  the  pleasant  village 
of  Hickman  at  that  time  bore  the  name  of  Mills's 
Point.  Although  Mills's  Point  was  on  the  plan  of 
the  circuit  as  a  preaching-place,  Christianity  had 
exerted  but  a  feeble  influence  in  the  community, 
and  on  more  than  one  occasion  the  preacher  had 
met  with  rude  treatment. 

The  first  appointment  for  this  place  was  at  night. 
Having  preached  in  the  morning  a  few  miles  from 
the  village,  a  brother,  who  was  a  class-leader,  famil- 
iar with  the  unkind  reception  and  rough  treatment 
which  preachers  had  generally  met  in  Mills's  Point, 
endeavored  to  dissuade  Mr.  Davis  from  filling  his 
appointment,  and  from  incurring  the    hazard    of 


•54  Western    Cavaliers. 

personal  violence.  Arthur  Davis  was  not  the  man 
to  In'  alarmed.  He  had  been  commissioned  to  preach 
the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  the  constituted  authorities 
of  the  Church  had  embraced  this  village  in  his  field 
of  labor,  and  no  amount  of  opposition  could  deter 
him  from  the  performance  of  what  he  believed  to 
be  his  duty.  Without  the  polish  of  education — but 
possessed  of  a  masterly  intellect,  an  indomitable 
energy,  a  burning  desire  to  save  sinners,  and  with 
a  courage  that  knew  no  fear — dressed  in  plainest 
homespun,  he  made  his  appearance  in  the  village 
that  afternoon.  Alighting  from  his  horse  at  the 
tavern  where  he  stopped,  he  was  invited  into  the 
bar-room,  where  he  found  a  motley  crowd  of  wicked 
men  —  some  playing  fiddles,  some  dancing,  some 
swearing,  some  gambling,  and  all  under  the  infiu- 
ence  of  ardent  spirits.  Taking  his  seat  among 
them,  he  could  not  do  otherwise  than  listen  to  their 
obscene  jests  and  ribaldry — the  Church  and  the 
preachers  being  freely  denounced. 

Learning  that  in  the  community  there  was  one 
family  friendly  to  Methodism,  at  whose  house  there 
had  been  occasional  preaching,  Mr. -Davis  called  at 
the  house  and  inquired  for  the  gentleman.  Being 
told  that  he  was  not  at  home,  he  asked  the  lady 
whether  preaching  was  expected  at  her  house 
that  evening.  The  rough  exterior  of  the  preacher 
was  repellant  to  her  ideas  of  the  "  cloth,"  and  she 
promptly  replied  in  the  negative.  He  then  asked 
her  whether  there  was  an  appointment  for  preach- 
ing anywhere  in  town.  Her  reply  was,  "Not  that 
I  know  of."      "Do   the  people  want   preaching?" 


Western    Cavaliers.  55 

was  the  next  inquiry  made  by  Mr.  Davis.  "I  do 
not  know,"  was  the  hasty  reply.  "It  makes  no 
difference  with  me;  the  gospel  I  preach  is  not  on 
the  beg,"  was  the  answer  of  Arthur  Davis.  He 
bade  her  good  evening,  and  although  she  called  to 
him  several  times,  as  he  retreated  from  the  house 
and  yard,  he  heeded  her  not,  but  returned  as  rap- 
idly as  he  could  walk  to  the  tavern,  and  was  once 
more  in  the  midst  of  the  drunken  crowd. 

At  the  announcement  of  supper  all  went  into  the 
dining-room,  where  Mr.  Davis  had  still  to  hear  the 
rough  language  of  these  ungodly  men.  A  few  mo- 
ments later  found  them  in  the  bar-room,  engaged 
in  almost  every  kind  of  vice,  uttering  the  most  hor- 
rid oaths,  and  occasionally  walking  to  the  door  and 
looking  for  the  preacher,  whom  they  were  expecting, 
and  with  whom  they  contemplated  "some  fun." 

In  the  meantime,  the  gentleman  at  whose  house 
Arthur  Davis  had  called  had  returned  home;  and, 
being  informed  by  his  wife  that  the  preacher  had 
been  to  his  house,  and  of  what  had  occurred,  he  sent 
a  servant  to  the  tavern  to  invite  him  to  his  house. 
The  landlord  declared  that  no  preacher  was  there, 
and  swore  that  he  had  "  not  seen  a  preacher  for  a 
long  time."  A  deep  concern  was  at  once  expressed 
by  the  vulgar  crowd,  who  declared  that  no  preacher 
would  dare  venture  into  the  village,  and  if  one  should 
do  so  they  would  like  to  see  him.  Quiet  and  calm, 
Mr.  Davis  did  not  move  from  his  seat,  The  servant 
was  persistent.  "  There  is  a  preacher  here,"  he  re- 
plied; "he  has  been  to  our  house,  but  did  not  find 
my  master  at  home.     He  has,  however,  come  home, 


56  Western    Cavaliers. 

and  prepared  seats  for  preaching;  had  sent  word  to 
the  people  in  town  thai  there  would  be  preaching 
at  his  house  that  night,  and  a  good  many  persons 
are  there  now  waiting  for  him."  In  the  most  pro- 
fane manner,  the  landlord  and  his  crowd  swore 
again  that  no  preacher  had  stopped  at  his  house. 

Thinking  it  time  to  stop  the  discussion,  Arthur 
I  hivis  arose  from  his  seat,  and,  calling  for  his  saddle- 
bags, took  out  his  Bible,  and,  holding  it  up  before 
them,  said  :  "I  am  the  preacher;  I  am  the  man  you 
want  to  see  so  badly."  Speaking  with  the  authority 
of  a  brave  man,  he  commanded  them  to  follow  him. 
Unable  to  resist  the  presence  of  such  a  man,  or 
attracted  hy  the  boldness  with  which  he  confronted 
them,  without  uttering  a  word  they  obeyed  his  com- 
mand, and  went  with  him  to  the  place  of  preaching. 
The  house  was  already  well  filled,  hut  Mr.  Davis  de- 
termined to  provide  for  that  part  of  the  congregation 
by  whom  he  was  accompanied,  who,  although  unable 
to  obtain  seats,  found  comfortable  places  to  stand. 

A  small  table  for  a  pulpit,  on  which  were  placed 
a  hymn-hook  and  Bible,  indicated  the  place  to  be 
occupied  by  the  preacher.  Without  taking  a  seat, 
he  opened  the  hymn-book,  read  two  lines  and  sang 
them,  and  knelt  in  prayer.  The  prayer  was  brief; 
before  the  congregation  could  kneel,  the  preacher 
said  "Amen." 

It  was  late  in  November,  and  the  evenings  were 
quite  uncomfortable.  After  announcing  his  text, 
he  said:  "I  am  quite  comfortably  situated  myself, 
and  on  this  occasion  I  will  preach  the  best  I  can.  I 
do  not  know  how  long  I  may  preach,  but  shall  not 


Western    Cavaliers.  57 

quit  until  I  get  ready.  If  any  of  you  get  tired,  you 
are  at  liberty  to  leave  at  any  time ;  it  will  not  dis- 
turb me." 

For  more  than  an  hour  Arthur  Davis  preached 
to  that  audience.  They  were  spell-bound.  Not  a 
whisper  disturbed  the  silence.  It  was  the  simple 
story  of  the  cross;  it  was  salvation  by  faith  in  the 
atoning  merits  of  Jesus  Christ;  it  was  the  witness 
of  the  Spirit  bearing  witness  with  ours  that  we  are 
the  children  of  God;  it  was  an  escape  from  the 
damnation  of  hell,  and  the  abundant  entrance  into 
heaven,  and  the  enjoyment  of  its  resplendent  glo- 
ries, told  in  a  plain  and  simple  manner,  by  a  sincere 
preacher  of  the  gospel,  that  so  entranced  them. 

If  a  desire  was  expressed  by  the  gentleman  and 
his  wife  at  whose  house  Mr.  Davis  had  preached 
that  another  appointment  be  left  for  preaching,  the 
entire  congregation  participated  in  it,  none  of  whom 
were  warmer  in  their  expressions  than  the  crowd 
from  the  tavern,  some  of  whom  had  heard  the  gos- 
pel for  the  first  time  in  many  years. 

After  announcing  an  appointment  for  Mr.  Ramsey, 
the  preacher  in  charge,  and  another  for  himself,  he 
pronounced  the  benediction,  with  as  little  ceremony 
as  he  had  entered  upon  the  service. 

Mr.  Ramsey  had  preached,  but  the  people  looked 
forward  to  the  next  appointment  of  Mr.  Davis  with 
peculiar  interest.  He  had  arrested  the  attention  of 
a  community  where  all  others  had  failed.  He  had 
reached  the  hearts  of  men  addicted  to  every  species 
of  vice,  and  in  a  single  sermon  impressed  upon 
them  the  importance  of  religion;  and,  in  the  hands 


58  Western    Cavaliers. 

of  God,  he  was  to  be  the  instrument  in  organizing 
the  Church  and  in  taking  into  its  fold  many  who 

had  been  wanderers  from  Christ.  His  reception  on 
his  second  appearance  was  a  warm  one.  All  were 
glad  to  see  him.  He  preached;  his  congregation 
was  large,  and  at  the  close  of  the  sermon  he  organ- 
ized a  Church  consisting  of  twelve  persons. 

From  this  period  to  the  close  of  the  Conference- 
year  the  Hickman  Circuit  was  in  a  blaze.  Every 
appointment  was  on  fire.  The  cries  of  awakened 
sinners  and  the  shouts  of  souls  converted  to  God 
were  heard  wherever  the  gospel  was  preached  and 
the  tidings  of  a  Redeemer's  love  proclaimed.  At 
the  quarterly  and  camp-meetings  the  gifted  Harris 
delivered  his  message  of  life  —  of  death  —  "in 
thoughts  that  breathe,  and  words  that  burn,''  * 
while  throughout  the  circuit,  ever  at  their  post,  the 
zealous  Ramsey,  the  most  powerful  exhortcr  in  the 
Conference,  as  Avell  as  a  model  preacher,  and  the 
plain,  unostentatious,  but  strong-minded  Davis,  with 
such  local  preachers  as  Joshua  Cole  and  Fletcher 
Sullivan,  fearlessly  warned  sinners  to  flee  the 
wrath  to  come.f 

*  There  were  three  camp-meetings  during  this  year  in  the 
Hickman  Circuit — one  at  Oliver's  Camp-ground,  and  two  at 
Mobley's.  At  the  Oliver  camp-meeting  on  Sunday,  at  eleven 
o'clock,  Mr.  Harris  preached  the  funeral-sermon  of  a  Brother 
Atterbury,  an  excellent  man.  His  text  was,  "That  as  sin  hath 
reigned  unto  death,  even  so  might  grace  reign  through  right- 
eousness unto  eternal  life  by  Jesus  Christ  our  Lord."  The 
sermon  was  one  of  great  power,  and  left  a  lasting  impression 
on  the  community. 

fAt  one  of  the  camp-meetings  at  Mobley's,  on  Sunday,  at 


Western    Cavaliers.  59 

At  the  camp-meeting  at  Oliver's  Camp  -  ground 
many  were  born  to  God;  and  at  the  first  camp- 
meeting  for  this  year  at  Mobley's  more  than  one 
hundred  souls  were  converted.  At  the  ensuing 
Conference  seven  hundred  and  six  white  and  forty- 
three  colored  members  were  reported,  increasing  the 
membership  nearly  one  hundred  per  cent. 

We  are  not  surprised  at  these  results  when  we 
consider  the  energy,  the  zeal,  and  the  untiring  devo- 
tion of  these  faithful  men.* 

three  o'clock,  while  Calvin  Thompson  was  preaching,  a  man, 
wild  in  appearance,  and  remarkable  for  his  muscular  power 
and  fighting  qualities,  only  half  clad,  and  bare-headed,  came 
running  into  the  camp-ground,  making  tremendous  bounds, 
and  screaming,  at  every  leap,  "The  devil  is  after  me!"  He 
jumped  over  the  heads  of  several  ladies,  and  landed  in  the 
middle  of  the  altar,  falling  on  one  of  his  shoulders  and  dis- 
locating it.  He  was  immediately  removed  to  the  preachers' 
tent,  and  the  disjointed  limb  was  reset  by  Dr.  Nichols.  Some- 
what relieved  from  pain  and  quieted  in  mind,  he  was  asked 
for  an  explanation  of  his  strange  conduct,  when  he  stated 
that,  being  under  conviction,  he  had  retired  to  the  woods  to 
pray,  whereupon  the  devil  confronted  him  in  person,  and 
that,  having  been  hitherto  accustomed  to  fight  his  way  through 
the  world,  he  made  a  heavy  pass  at  his  antagonist.  The  devil, 
he  affirmed,  gathered  him  by  the  hair  of  his  head,  and  shook 
him  as  though  he  had  been  an  infant,  and  when  let  loose  he 
started  for  the  altar  as  a  place  of  refuge. 

*In  a  letter  to  the  author  from  the  Eev.  T.  L.  Boswell, 
D.D.,  of  the  Memphis  Conference,  he  says:  "I  remember 
being  at  one  of  the  camp-meetings  held  on  the  Hickman  Cir- 
cuit, at  Mobley's  Camp-ground,  when  Brothers  Ramsey  and 
Davis  were  the  preachers.  It  was  a  time  of  the  greatest  relig- 
ious excitement  it  has  ever  been  my  privilege  to  witness.  The 
exercises  of  the  meeting,  like  the  employment  of  the  hosts 
of  heaven,  never  ceased  day  nor  night  during  my  stuy.<    The 


60  Western    Cavaliers. 

We  have  already  referred  to  the  appointment  of 
Hiram  M.  Glass  and  Calvin  Thompson  to  the 
Wadeshoro  Circuit.  Hiram  M.  Glass  became  a 
traveling  preacher  in  1 829.  Before  his  appointment 
to  Kentucky  he  had  traveled  the  Stone's  River, 
Jackson,  and  Neely's  Grove  Circuits.  This,  how- 
ever, was  Mr.  Thompson's  first  year  in  the  Confer- 
ence. 

Mr.  Glass  remained  on  the  \Vadesboro  Circuit  but 
a  short  time.  One  of  the  preachers  appointed  to 
Sandy  Circuit,  from  the  failure  of  his  health,  was 
unable  to  continue  in  the  work.  The  Presiding 
Elder  deemed  it  proper  to  transfer  Mr.  Glass  to  that 
circuit,  and  employ  Thomas  L.  Boswell,  a  youth 
only  seventeen  years  of  age,  to  assist  Mr.  Thomp- 
son, whom  he  placed  in  charge  of  the  work. 

Calvin  Thompson  was  an  excellent  young  man, 
deeply  pious,  and  distinguished  for  his  zeal  and  his 
usefulness.* 

Young  Boswell  reached  the  circuit  in  the  month 
of  February.  Converted  to  God  in  his  childhood, 
he  had  been  divinely  called  to  the  work  of  the 
Christian  ministry,  and  entered  upon  its  sacred 
duties  when  a  beardless  boy,  only  seventeen  years  of 
age.  He  met  from  the  people  a  kind  welcome  in 
every  portion  of  his  circuit,  and  with  commendable 
zeal  labored  to  do  good  and  to  save  sinners. 

The  Wadesboro  Circuit  was  large,  embracing  the 

altar  exercises  would  suspend   at  the  sound  of  the  trumpet 
long  enough  for  preaching,  and  then  commence  afresh." 

*  He  remained  in  the  traveling  connection  until  1839,  when 
he  located. 


Western    Cavaliers.  61 

counties  of  Calloway,  Graves,  and  McCracken,  ex- 
tending as  low  down  as  "  The  Iron  Works."  It 
contained  twenty-four  regular  appointments,  to  be 
filled  every  four  weeks,  besides  many  occasional  ones. 
The  rides  were  long  and  lonesome,  and  the  privations 
such  as  are  incident  to  a  recently  settled  country. 

The  large  area  embraced  in  this  circuit,  and  the 
great  number  of  preaching-places,  deprived  these 
young  men  almost  entirely  of  each  other's  society. 
They  met  but  seldom  during  the  year,  only  at  the 
quarterly  and  camp-meetings. 

The  inexperience  of  Thompson  and  Boswell  was 
in  a  great  measure  supplied  by  several  excellent 
local  preachers,  who  resided  in  the  bounds  of  their 
work.  Robert  Whitnel,  C.  A.  Waterfield,  Caleb 
Cole,  and  William  Holyfield  enjoyed,  in  the  -fullest 
sense,  the  confidence  of  the  people  among  whom 
they  lived,  were  distinguished  for  their  piety  and 
zeal,  and  were  eminently  useful. 

It  would  be  a  pleasant  task  to  follow  these  faith- 
ful and  zealous  preachers  of  the  gospel  throughout 
the  year — to  listen  to  the  invitations,  the  appeals, 
the  warnings,  that  fell  from  their  lips;  to  see  them 
as  they  held  up  the  cross,  "  all  stained  with  hal- 
lowed blood,"  as  the  only  refuge  for  a  lost  and 
ruined  world;  and  to  hear  the  cries  of  awakened 
sinners,  and  the  shouts  of  converted  souls  brought 
to  Christ  through  their  ministry. 

Young  Boswell  did  not  know  much  of  books;  but 
with  "the  one  Book,"  which  reveals  the  plan  by 
which  sinners  may  be  saved,  he  was  familiar.  The 
cardinal  doctrines  of  the  word  of  God — the  depravity 


62  Western    Cavaliers. 

of  man's  nature,  the  atonement,  justification  by 
faith,  the  witness  of  the  Spirit,  and  the  sanctifica- 
tion  of  the  soul — were  great  truths  which  had  been 
written  upon  his  own  heart,  and  which  he  impressed 
upon  the  hearts  of  others. 

If  the  Hickman  Circuit  was  blessed  with  exten- 
sive revivals,  they  were  not  confined  to  that  field. 
Revivals  also  crowned  the  labors  of  these  young 
men  in  every  part  of  the  Wadesboro  Circuit.  The 
interest  on  the  subject  of  religion  was  so  great  that 
two  camp-meetings  were  held  during  the  summer 
at  the  Wadesboro  Camp-ground,  and  hundreds  were 
converted  to  God. 

It  was  during  this  year  that  Methodism  was  in- 
troduced into  Paducah,  at  that  time  a  small  village, 
in  McCracken  county. 

A  few  members  of  the  Methodist  Church  had 
settled  at  that  point,  among  whom  was  Joseph  Cole, 
a  brother  to  the  preacher  we  have  mentioned,  and  a 
Mrs.  Smith,  by  whom  the  preachers  were  enter- 
tained (her  husband,  although  friendly  to  the 
Church,  not  being  a  member);  yet  no  Church  had 
been  organized. 

A  small  vacant  store-room  stood  on  the  banks  of 
the  beautiful  Ohio,  in  which  Calvin  Thompson  and 
Thomas  L.  Boswell  preached  the  gospel  of  Christ, 
and  where  they  organized  a  Church  whose  influence 
would  be  felt  in  the  coming  years. 

Pleasant  as  was  the  year  through  which  young 
Boswell  had  passed,  he  was  not  exempt  from  priva- 
tions. We  have  already  referred  to  the  large  ex- 
tent of  territory  over  which  his  circuit  spread.    The 


Western   Cavaliers.  63 

country  was  new,  the  traveling  difficult,  and  many 
of  the  people  uncultivated,  and  opposed  to  the  ad- 
vances which  were  being  made  by  the  Church.* 
His  extreme  youthfulness,  however,  often  pro- 
tected him  from  insult.  He  had  counted  the  cost, 
had  consecrated  his  life  to  the  service  of  the  Church, 
and  nothing  could  deter  him  from  the  faithful  per- 
formance of  duty. 

It  has  been  intimated  already  that  this  would  be 
a  year  of  unparalleled  success.  The  Minutes  show 
a  net  increase  in  the  Kentucky  Conference,  at  the 
close  of  the  year,  of  three  thousand  five  hundred  and 
seventy-five  white  and  one  thousand  and  fifty-eight  col- 
ored members. 

In  the  Wadesboro  Circuit  an  increase  of  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty-seven  white  and  twenty-seven  colored 
members  was  reported,  and  in  the  Hickman  Circuit 
the  increase  was  three  hundred  and  one  white  and 
thirty-eight  colored,  making  the  total  increase  four 
thousand  five  hundred  and  five  white  members,  and 
eleven  hundred  and,  four  colored. 

By  referring  to  the  Minutes  of  1832,  it  will  be 
observed  that  for  the  first  time  the  following  ques- 
tions were  asked: 

"What  amounts  are  necessary  for  the  super- 
annuated preachers,  and  widows  and  orphans  of 
preachers,  and  to  make  up  the  deficiencies  of  those 
avIio  have  not  obtained  their  regular  allowance  on 
the  circuits  V 

*A  crowd  of  ruffians  on  one  occasion  invited  Calvin  Thomp- 
son to  drink  with  them  from  a  jug  they  had.  Upon  his 
refusal,  they  tried  to  force  him  to  drink,  but  failed. 


64  Western    Cavaliers. 

"What  has  been  collected  on  the  foregoing  ac- 
counts, and  how  lias  it  been  applied? 

"  What  has  been  contributed  for  the  support  of 
missions,  and  what  for  the  publication  of  Bibles, 
tracts,  and  Sunday-school  books?" 

In  answer  to  the  first  question,  it  was  stated 
that  the  deficiency  was  four  thousand  one  hundred 
and  fifty-five  dollars  and  fifty-seven  cents.  To  meet 
this  deficiency,  seven  hundred  and  thirty-seven  dol- 
lars and  eight  cents  was  collected,  four  hundred 
dollars  of  which  was  received  from  the  Book  Con- 
cern, and  seventy -five  from  the  Chartered  Fund, 
making  the  collections  from  the  several  stations  and 
circuits  only  two  hundred  and  sixty-two  dollars  and 
thirty-eight  cents. 

The  largest  contribution  (twenty-one  dollars)  was 
sent  from  Georgetown  Circuit.  The  Shelbvville 
Female  Academy  and  Mount  Sterling  Circuit  sent 
each  twenty  dollars,  Lexington  Station  eighteen 
dollars  and  sixty  cents,  the  Lexington  Circuit  eight- 
een dollars  and  fifty  eenjts,  Jefferson  Circuit  fifteen 
dollars  and  eighty-seven  cents,  the  city  of  Louisville 
fifteen  dollars  and  twenty-five  cents,  Shelby ville  and 
Brick  Chapel  fourteen  dollars  and  eighty -seven 
cents,  Cynthiana  eleven  dollars  and  seventy -five 
cents,  and  Maysville  eleven  dollars.  The  remain- 
ing contributions  were  in  smaller  amounts,  only 
twenty  charges  sending  up  any  collection  at  all. 

Out  of  the  amount  collected  there  was  paid  to 
Bishop  McKendree  $10  71,  to  Bishop  Roberts  $14  48, 
to  Bishop  Sonic  $17  76,  to  Bishop  Hedding  $15  48, 
to  Bishop  Emory  $18  52,  to  Bishop  Andrew  $18  52 


Western   Cavaliers.  65 

— total,  $96  47.  After  deducting  this  amount,  only 
$640  91  was  left  to  be  divided  between  the  super- 
annuated preachers,  and  the  widows  and  orphans 
of  preachers,  and  to  make  up  the  deficiencies  of 
those  who  had  not  obtained  their  regular  allowance 
on  the  circuits  and  stations. 

When  we  consider  the  small  salaries  allowed  the 
preachers  at  this  period — one  hundred  dollars  for  a 
preacher,  one  hundred  dollars  for  his  wife,  sixteen 
dollars  for  each  child  under  seven  years  of  age, 
and  twenty-four  dollars  from  seven  to  fourteen  years 
of  age,  after  which  no  allowance  was  made  for  the 
children,  with  but  seldom  any  allowance  whatever 
for  table  expenses* — and  then  remember  that  this 
meager  salary  was  scarcely  ever  half  paid,  we  pause 
to  inquire,  How  was  it  possible  for  these  men  to  con- 
tinue in  the  work?  f 

Many  of  them,  indeed,  were  compelled  to  retire. 
At  this  very  Conference  six  men — active,  energetic, 
and  zealous — located.  J 

There  is  no  plainer  duty  laid  down  in  the  Bible 
than  that  "  those  who  preach  the  gospel  shall  live 
of  the  gospel,"  and  no  Church  can  prosper  to  its 
full  extent  that  fails  in  this  respect.  In  places 
where  no  Societies  have  been  organized  preachers 
must  be  supported  by  contributions  from  Churches 

*The  first  money  for  table  expenses  ever  paid  to  Benjamin 
T.  Crouch  was  in  1840,  and  was  collected  by  the  author  on  the 
Yellow  Banks  Circuit.     The  amount  was  twenty-six  dollars. 

f  Fifty-one  preachers  report  a  deficiency  at  this  Conference. 

JThomas  G.  Reese,  James  L.  Greenup,  Wilson  S.  McMur- 
rey,  Elijah  Knox,  A.  H.  Stemmons,  and  John  "W.  F.  Tevis. 


66  W  E  s  t  e  u  x    Cavaliers. 

already  established;  but  in  Kentucky,  at  this 
time.  Churches  were  fully  organized  almost  every- 
where. 

That  the  support  of  the  ministry  was  willfully 
neglected  will  not  be  gainsaid,  and  that  a  fear- 
ful responsibility  rests  upon  the  Church  of  that 
period  for  the  neglect  will  scarcely  be  denied.  It 
may  be  that  the  preachers,  too,  were  to  blame.  A 
feeling  of  delicacy  prevented  them  from  presenting 
their  claims  to  the  people  they  served,  and  hence 
the  people  in  many  instances  were  not  instructed  as 
they  should  have  been  in  the  duty  of  supporting 
their  preachers.* 

-The  author  was  once  holding  a  class-meeting,  and  asked 
a  wealthy  brother  to  relate  his  Christian  experience.  After 
referring  to  his  conversion,  and  the  conversion  of  his  wife 
and  eight  children,  he  added:  "And  I  owe  it  all,  under 
God,  to  Methodist  preachers."  Knowing  that  he  paid  very 
little  for  the  support  of  the  Church,  I  asked  him  how  much 
he  gave  annually  for  missions.'  "  Xot  a  cent,"  he  promptly 
replied.  I  then  inquired,  "  How  much  do  you  pay  to  aid  in 
the  support  of  your  preachers?"  "  I  pay  fifty  cents  a  year," 
was  the  answer.  I  said  to  him:  "Brother,  it  seems  to  me, 
from  your  statement,  that  on  the  one  hand  you  have  been 
greatly  blessed  by  the  Church,  and  on  the  other  you  have 
been  criminally  negligent  in  reference  to  your  obligations  and 
duty.  The  small  amount  you  pay  toward  supporting  your 
preachers,  and  the  fact  that  you  pay  nothing  for  missions,  is 
an  insult  to  God.  Cannot  you  do  better?"  "  Perhaps  I  can," 
he  answered.  "  How  much  better?"  I  demanded.  "I  can 
possibly  double  the  amount  for  the  preachers,  and  give  as 
much  for  other  purposes."  "Too  little,"  I  rejoined.  "  How 
nnuh  would  you  have  me  pay?"  he  asked.  Thinking  it 
better  not  to  press  him  very  hard  at  first,  I  replied:  "Xot  less 
than  twenty  dollars  for  the  support  of  the  preachers,  and  at 


Western    Cavaliers.  67 

The  support  of  the  superannuated  preachers,  and 
the  widows  and  orphans  of  preachers  who  had 
fallen  in  the  work,  was  far  below"  the  necessities  of 
the  claimants,  as  well  as  the  ability  of  the  Church. 
Benjamin  Ogden  and  Barnabas  McHenry,  to  whom 
the  Church  in  Kentucky  was  so  greatly  indebted, 
received  thirty-six  dollars  and  thirty-seven  cents;  James 
Ward,  whose  health  had  broken  down  under  the 
labor  and  exposure  of  arduous  campaigns,  received 
forty -eight  dollars,  and  the  other  superannuated 
preachers  in  the  same  proportion;  while  Mrs.  Fin- 
ley  and  her  children  received,  to  support  them  one 
year,  thirty-one  dollars  and  twenty-Jive  cents,  and  Mrs. 
Dill's  children,  whose  father  had  fallen  at  his  post, 
beloved  and  honored,  and  whose  mother,  too,  had 
died,  were  paid  fourteen  dollars  and  fifty  cents, 
and  Atterbury's  children,  doubly  orphaned,  seven 
dollars  and  twenty-five  cents. 

It  certainly  required  no  little  zeal  and  devotion  to 
the  cause  which  these  men  were  laboring  to  ad- 
vance— with  such  a  support,  and  such  prospects  be- 
fore them  in  old  age,  and  before  their  families,  if 
they  should  die — to  continue  in  the  work.  Their 
trust,  however,  was  in  God,  who  had  called -them  to 
the  ministry.  He  had  fed  the  ravens,  and  watched 
the  falling  sparrow,  and  had  promised  to  be  with 
them  in  every  trial,  and  they  were' willing  to  trust 
to  his  promise. 

least  half  that  sum  for  missions."  He  accepted  my  sugges- 
tion, and  became  a  very  liberal  man.  The  members  of  the 
Church,  too,  where  this  interview  occurred  contributed  that 
year  more  than  twice  as  much  as  they  had  ever  given  before. 


68  Western    Cavaliers. 

The  Missionary  Society  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  in  the  United  States  was  organized  in 
1819.  Very  little,'  however,  had  been  done  for  the 
cause  of  missions  anywhere  in  the  Church.  In  the 
Kentucky  Conference  no  interest  had  been  awak- 
ened, or,  if  so,  it  had  passed  away  without  any 
active  demonstrations. 

At  the  Conference  of  1832  forty-four  dollars  and 
fifty  cents  was  reported  for  missions — the  first  re- 
port for  this  cause  we  have  on  record  in  Kentucky. 
The  resolution  adopted  by  the  body  at  this  session, 
to  which  Ave  have  already  alluded,  indicated  that  a 
new  feeling  had  been  imparted  to  the  Church  on 
the  question — that  it  would  be  impossible  for  the 
Church  at  home  to  succeed  if  it  took  no  interest  in 
the  extension  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ.  The  re- 
sults of  the  year  in  this  direction,  although  far  be- 
low what  might  have  been  expected  from  the  action 
of  the  Conference,  showed  an  upward  tendency. 
At  the  Conference  of  1833  seventy-nine  dollars  and 
seventy-five  cents  was  collected  for  missions. 

Another  question  of  grave  importance — the  pub- 
lishing interests  of  the  Church — had  been  freely 
discussed  in  several  previous  Conferences,  and  suit- 
able resolutions  concurred  in. 

In  the  Conference  of  1831  the  following  resolu- 
tions were  adopted: 

"Resolved,  by  the  Kentucky  Annual  Conference,  unan- 
imously— First,  That  we  view  the  Book  Concern  of 
the  M.  E.  Church  as  an  important  auxiliary  in  the 
great  work  in  which  we  are  engaged,  both  as  a 
means  of  spreading  religious  knowledge  and  as  a 


Western   Cavaliers.  69 

source  of  relief  and  support  to  an  itinerant  minis- 
try, particularly  to  the  worn-out  preachers  and 
their  families,  as  well  as  to  the  widows  and  orphans 
of  those  who  have  fallen  in  the  work. 

"Second,  That  we  view  with  regret  and  disgust 
the  ungenerous  efforts  of  certain  individuals  to  un- 
dermine and  ruin  the  Concern,  evidently  from  mo- 
tives of  private  interest,  in  publishing  and  vending 
such  hooks  as  have  hitherto  been  published  exclu- 
sively by  our  Concern,  and  in  endeavoring  to  im- 
pose -spurious  publications  on  the  public  as  the 
genuine  and  standard  publications  of  our  Church. 

"Third,  That  Ave,  as  a  body  and  as  individuals, 
will  use  our  best  exertions  to  secure  the  interests  of 
our  Concern  by  recommending  and  promoting  the 
sale  of  those  books  and  publications  which  are 
issued  from  our  presses,  and  that  we  will  have  no 
agency  whatever  in  the  sale  of  those  books  and 
publications  which  are  published  by  others  with 
the  evident  view  of  supplanting  or  injuring  our  own 
establishment." 

The  importance  of  the  circulation  of  religious 
books  of  our  own  publication  among  the  people  was 
felt  by  every  preacher  in  the  Conference.  Other  de- 
nominations of  Christians  were  sending  out  all  over 
the  country  books  advocating  their  peculiar  tenets 
and  doctrines;  and  if  Methodism  would  keep  pace 
with  them,  it  must  have  not  only  an  efficient 
ministry,  but  an  efficient  colportage.  The  difficulty 
of  procuring  books  was  great  compared  with  that 
which  a  preacher  now  encounters.  Express  trains 
and  railroads  were  unknown  in  the  West,  and  yet 


70  Western    Cavaliers. 

it  was  difficult  to  find  a  preacher  anywhere  from 
whom  the  standard  works  of  the  Church  might  not 
be  purchased.  They  carried  them  in  their  saddle- 
bags on  horseback  to  their  meetings,  to  the  homes 
of  the  rich,  and  to  the  cabins  of  the  poor.  Our  hooks 
were  thus  scattered  everywhere.  A  Methodist  fam- 
ily could  rarely  be  found  without  the  works  of 
Wesley,  Fletcher,  and  AVatson,  and  the  biographies 
of  sainted  men  and  women.*  Under  such  training 
the  characters  of  our  people  were  formed;  and  at 
this  period  some  of  the  brightest  examples  ever 
known  among  the  membership  in  Kentucky  shone 
with  undiminished  luster,  while  the  ministry,  in 
many  instances,  could  scarcely  boast  abler  defenders 
of  the  doctrines  held  by  the  Church  than  were  to 
be  found  in  the  laity. 

Another  benefit  accruing  from  the  circulation  of 
books  was,  it  supplemented  the  salary  (or,  rather, 
the  allowance,  for  the  amount  was  not  dignified  with 
the  name  of  salary)  of  the  preacher.  The  profits  on 
the  sales  were  small,  it  is  true,  but  still  many  a 
preacher  was  enabled  to  remain  in  the  itinerant 
field  by  the  revenue  received  from  this  source. 

In  addition  to  the  circulation  of  books  on  the 
plan  we  have  stated,  public  collections  were  ordered 
in  the  several  congregations  for  the  publication  of 
Bibles,  tracts,  and   Sunday-school   books.     At  the 

*  Two  of  the  best  Methodist  libraries  I  have  ever  met  with 
were  to  be  found  in  the  bounds  of  the  Manchester  Mi 
which  was  my  first  appointment.     They  were  owned  by  the 
Rev.  George    Stivers,  a  worthy  local   preacher,    and   Thomas 
Bowman,  a  layman. 


Western   Cavaliers.  71 

Conference  of  1832 — the  first  at  which  we  find  any 
account  of  funds  raised  for  this  purpose — twenty- 
seven  dollars  and  sixty  cents  were  reported,  which 
amount  was  increased  the  following  year  to  forty- 
two  dollars  and  twenty-fire  cents. 

The  subject  of  Colonization  was  not  only  agitat- 
ing the  mind  of  the  Church  at  this  time  in  Ken- 
tucky, but  the  popular  feeling  was  strongly  enlisted 
in  its  favor.  There  were  in  the  State  many  free 
persons  of  color  who  desired  to  emigrate  to  Liberia, 
where  a  colony  had  been  established,  and  was  at 
that  time  in  a  prosperous  condition. 

The  object  of  the  American  Colonization  Society 
was  not  only  to  provide  means  for  transporting  such 
as  might  choose  to  go  to  Liberia,  but  to  make  pro- 
vision for  their  support  in  that  distant  land  until 
they  should  be  able  to  take  care  of  themselves. 

At  the  Conference  of  1831  George  C.  Light,  one 
of  the  most  gifted  men  in  the  Conference,  having 
been  solicited  by  the  Society  to  become  their  Agent 
in  Kentucky,  requested  to  be  appointed  to  this  in- 
teresting work.  He  had  served  the  Society  from 
the  Conference  of  1831  to  the  Conference  of  1832, 
when  he  was  reappointed  to  that  important  field. 
By  his  elocpience,  his  power,  and  his  zeal,  he  had 
invested  the  scheme  with  an  interest  it  had  not  pre- 
viously known.  Communities  that  had  looked 
upon  the  enterprise  with  indifference  and  doubt 
were  awakened,  and  became  its  earnest  advocates. 

The  Kentucky  Conference  adopted  the  following 
preamble  and  resolution: 

"Whereas,  in  the  opinion  of  this  Conference,  the 


72  Western    Cavaliers. 

Colony  of  Liberia  presents  an  asylum  for  the  free 
people  of  color  of  these  United  States,  where  lib- 
erty in  the  popular  sense  of  the  word  may  he  en- 
joyed; and  whereas,  the  scheme  of  African  coloni- 
zation is  considered  as  the  most  likely  means,  and 
well  calculated  to  extend  the  blessings  of  civiliza- 
tion and  the  light  of  the  gospel  of  the  grace  of  God 
to  the  benighted  regions  of  Africa;  and  whereas, 
the  Colonization  Society  has  manifested  a  lafldable 
zeal,  and  spirit  of  benevolence,  and  virtuous  enter- 
prise in  performing  much  with  very  limited  means 
in  promoting  the  interests  of  the  colony,  which 
is  said  to  be  in  a  flourishing  condition;  there- 
fore, 

"Resolved,  by  the  Kentucky  Annual  Conference,  That 
we  highly  approve  of  the  scheme  of  African  Colo- 
nization, and  that  we  will  recommend  it  to  the 
attention  of  the  people  of  our  charges,  and  to  the 
community  in  general,  as  a  cause  worthy  their  pat- 
ronage and  united  cooperation." 

During  the  year  three  cavaliers  were  called  from 
labor  to  reward — Joseph  B.  Power,  Barnabas  Mc- 
Ilenry,  and  Ala  re  us  Lindsey. 

Joseph  B.  Power  and  Barnabas  McHenry  were 
both  on  the  list  of  superannuates. 

Mr.  Power  was  born  in  Montgomery  county, 
Kentucky,  September  15,  1802,  and  had  entered  the 
ministry  in  1826,  when  twenty-four  years  of  age. 
For  four  years  he  had  faithfully  performed  the  ar- 
duous duties  of  an  itinerant  preacher.  The  failure 
of  his  health  compelled  him  to  retire  from  active 
service  which    he  was   never  afterward   able  to  re- 


Western    Cavaliers.  73 

Bume.  He  died  July  23, 1833.  His  end  was  peace- 
ful and  happy. 

For  forty-six  years  the  name  of  Barnabas  Mc- 
Henry  had  been  favorably  known  in  the  West.  No 
one  of  the  early  preachers  had  labored  with  greater 
devotion  to  the  cause  of  truth  than  had  this  vener- 
able man.  Gifted  beyond  many  of  his  contempo- 
raries, he  presented  the  doctrines  of  the  Church 
with  a  clearness,  and  defended  them  with  an  ability, 
that  distinguished  but  few  men.  His  life  was  a 
comment  on  the  religion  he  professed.  He  enjoyed 
the  blessing  of  sanctification,  and  died  of  cholera, 
in  triumph,  on  the  16th  of  June,  1833. 

When  Marcus  Lindsey  fell,  a  hero  and  a  warrior 
passed  away.  He  died  of  cholera  in  Washington 
county,  Kentucky,  July  27,  1833.  He  had  entered 
the  ministry  in  1810,  and  from  that  period  until  his 
death  he  had  performed  the  duties  assigned  him 
with  a  fidelity  that  commanded  the  admiration  of 
his  friends  and  challenged  the  criticism  of  the  ene- 
mies of  the  cause  he  had  espoused.  With  an  intel- 
lect of  the  highest  order,  as  a  bold  and  fearless  ad- 
vocate of  the  doctrines  he  had  accepted  as  the 
teachings  of  the  Bible,  he  had  no  peer  in  the  West. 
From  the  time  he  became  a  cavalier  until  he  fell 
on  the  field  of  battle,  his  sword  had  never  been 
permitted  to  rust,  nor  his  armor  to  be  sullied.  He 
was  brave  and  chivalrous  in  life,  and  in  death  tri- 
umphant.* 

*  For  a  fuller  sketch  of  the  life,  labors,  and  death  of  Joseph 
B.    Power,    Barnabas    McHenry,    and    Marcus    Lindsey,    see 
"  History  of  Methodism  in  Kentucky." 
4 


74  W  E  S  1  E  It  N     C  A  V  A  L  I  E  It  S 


CHAPTER  II. 

FROM  THE  SESSION  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CONFERENCE  OF 
1833  TO  THE  CONFERENCE  OF  1834. 

What  troubles  have  we  seen ! 

What  conflicts  have  we  past! 
Fightings  without  and  fears  within, 

Since  we  assembled  last; 
But  out  of  all  the  Lord 

Hath  brought  us  by  his  love, 
And  still  he  doth  his  aid  afford, 

And  hides  our  life  above. 

THE  labors  of  the  year  were  completed,  and 
brave  cavaliers  who  had  taken  leave  of  each 
other  nearly  twelve  months  before  met  in  the  village 
of  Greensburg.  The  meeting  was  pleasant,  yet 
mingled  with  sadness;  for  Power,  MeHenry,  and 
Lindsey  were  not  present  to  answer  to  the  roll-call. 
They  had  been  summoned  from  labor  to  reward. 

The  session  of  the  Conference  opened  on  the  11th 
of  September,  and  was  presided  over  by  Robert 
Rich  ford  Roberts.  Mr.  Roberts  was  born  in  Fred- 
erick county,  Maryland,  August  2,  1778.  When 
only  fifteen  years  of  age  he  became  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  having  previously 
been  converted.     A  youth  of  more  than  ordinary 


Western   Cavaliers.  75 

promise,  and  of  fervent  piety, from  the  time  lie  made 
a  profession  of  religion  the  impression  rested  on  the 
mind  of  the  Church  that  God  would  call  him  to 
preach  the  gospel.  Believing  himself  to  be  divinely 
chosen  to  this  sacred  work,  he  yielded  to  his  convic- 
tions, and  preached  his  first  sermon  about  Christmas, 
1801.  In  the  spring  of  1802  he  was  admitted  on 
trial  into  the  Baltimore  Conference,  and  appointed  to 
the  Carlisle  Circuit,  with  the  sweet-spirited  Wilson 
Lee  as  his  Presiding  Elder.  His  subsequent  fields 
of  labor,  in  the  Baltimore  Conference,  were  the 
Montgomery,  the  Frederick,  the  Chenango,  and 
Erie  Circuits,  and  the  Pittsburgh,  West  Wheeling, 
Baltimore,  Fell's  Point,  Alexandria,  and  George- 
town Stations.  In  1813  we  find  him  in  the  Phila- 
delphia Conference,  and,  with  William  Hunter, 
Thomas  Boring,  John  Emory,  and  Manning  Force, 
stationed  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  with  the  cele- 
brated Henry  Boehm  as  his  Presiding  Elder.  He 
remained  in  Philadelphia  two  years,  when  he  was 
placed  in  charge  of  the  Schuylkill  District,  where 
we  find  him  in  May,  1816,  when  the  General  Con- 
ference met  in  the  city  of  Baltimore. 

The  death  of  Bishop  Asbury,  which  had  occurred 
on  the  31st  of  March  preceding  the  General  Con- 
ference, devolved  the  duties  of  the  episcopal  office 
on  Bishop  MeKendree,  the  only  surviving  Bishop. 
There  were  nine  Annual  Conferences,  embracing  the 
United  States  of  America,  requiring  the  supervision 
of  this  remarkable  man.  The  immense  labors  he 
had  performed  had  so  far  impaired  his  health  as  to 
render  him   unequal  to    the   duties   his   office   de- 


76  Western   Cavaliers. 

manded;  hence,  the  Committee  on  Episcopacy  rec- 
ommended the  election  of  two  additional  Bishops. 
On  Tuesday,  the  14th  of  May,  Enoch  George  and 
Robert  Richford  Roberts  were  elected  to  this  office. 

The  responsibilities  of  the  Episcopacy  are  such 
as  no  man  should  covet.  If  the  duties  of  the  office 
at  the  present  period  demand  greater  sacrifices  and 
more  heavy  responsibilities  than  any  other  depart- 
ment of  ministerial  labor,  they  were  certainly  not 
less  at  the  time  Bishop  Roberts  was  elevated  to  this 
position.  Besides  his  long  and  wearisome  travel 
on  horseback,  his  constant  exposure,  his  sacrifice 
and  toil,  the  support  he  received  was  inadequate  to 
the  demands  of  his  family,  and  often  left  him  em- 
barrassed, if  not  penniless.  Until  1824  there  was  no 
provision  in  the  Discipline  for  a  Bishop's  family, 
and  he  consequently  received,  for  the  eight  years 
preceding  that  date,  only  two  hundred  dollars  a 
year  and  his  traveling  expenses.* 

Bishop  Roberts  had  previously,  on  several  occa- 
sions, visited  the  West.  In  the  autumn  of  1816  he 
attended  the  Ohio  Conference,  which  embraced  the 
northern  portion  of  Kentucky,  and  met  in  Louis- 
ville; in  1817  he  was  again  present  at  the  session  of 
the  Ohio  Conference,  and  the  same  year  presided 

*On  the  25th  day  of  May,  1824,  the  General  Conference 
adopted  the  following  resolution  : 

"Resolved,  That  the  Book  Agents  and  Book  Committee  in 
New  York  shall  be  a  committee  to  estimate  the  amount  neces- 
sary to  meet  the  family  expenses  of  the  Bishops,  which  shall 
be  annually  paid  by  the  Book  Agents  out  of  the  funds  of  the 
Book  Concern;  and  that  the  above  resolution  be  incorporated 
into  our  Discipline." 


Western   Cavaliers.  77 

over  the  Tennessee  Conference,  which  included 
Southern  Kentucky  *  In  1818  lie  was  again  present 
at  the  Ohio  Conference,  with  Bishops  McKendree 
and  George.  In  1821  we  find  him  at  the  Kentucky 
Conference,  which  met  in  Lexington,f  and  in  1823 
at  the  session  in  Maysville.  From  this  period  until 
1830  he  attended  every  session  of  the  Kentucky 
Conference,  which  met,  respectively,  in  Shelbyville, 
Russellville,  Louisville,  Versailles,  Shelbyville,  and 
Lexington.  A°;ain  we  meet  him  at  the  session  in 
Louisville  in  1831. 

No  Bishop  in  the  Church  could  have  received  a 
more  cordial  welcome  than  did  Bishop  Roberts 
when  he  attended  the  Conference  of  1833.  He  was 
not  only  "familiar  with  the  work  in  Kentucky,  and 
the  demands  of  the  Church,  but  he  was  intimately 
acquainted  with  many  of  the  preachers,  and  shared 
in  the  affections  of  all. 

If  he  did  not  bring  to  the  holy  office  he  so  accept- 
ably and  usefully  filled  pulpit  talents  of  the  highest 
order,  yet  we  find  him  a  clear  and  forcible  preacher, 
with  a  mind  richly  stored  with  gems  of  gospel  truth. 
If  he  did  not  rise  to  the  loftiest  heights  of  oratory, 
yet  strains  of  impassioned  elocpience  often  fell  from 
his  lips.  He  was  a  workman  who  needeth  not  to  be 
ashamed.     Throughout  the  West  were  to  be  found 

*  It  was  either  at  this  or  a  subsequent  session  of  the  Ten- 
nessee Conference  that  he  reached  the  session  the  day  after  it 
opened.  On  taking  the  chair  he  proposed  to  explain  to  the 
Conference  the  cause  of  his  delay:  "I  started  from  home  one 
day  later  than  I  should  have  done,"  was  the  only  explanation 
he  gave. 

f  The  Kentucky  Conference  was  organized  in  1820. 


78  Western    Cavaliers. 

his  living  epistles,  known  and  read  of  all  men.  In 
all  the  walks  of  life  pious  men  and  women,  brought 
to  Christ  through  his  instrumentality,  adorned  the 
circles  in  which  they  moved,  and  called  him  blessed. 

William  Adams  was  appointed  Secretary;  the 
preliminary  business  occupied  the  first  day  of  the 
session ;  the  Committees  on  Public  Worship,  on  the 
Book  Concern,  Finance,  and  on  Memoirs,  were  ap- 
pointed. In  addition  to  these,  a  special  committee 
looking  to  the  publication  of  a  weekly  paper  in  the 
West  was  appointed.  This  committee  consisted 
of  George  C.  Light,  William  P.  McKnight,  Henry 
B.  Bascom,  Jonathan  Stamper,  and  Benjamin  T. 
Crouch. 

Up  to  this  period  the  West  had  depended  chiefly, 
if  not  entirely,  on  the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal, 
published  in  the  city  of  ISTew  York,  for  Church  in- 
telligence. Without  the  advantages  of  railroads, 
the  mails  were  tardy  in  reaching  their  destination, 
and  hence  weeks  would  sometimes  elapse  before  in- 
formation of  importance  could  be  received.  Five 
large  Conferences  had  already  been  organized  in  the 
West,  to  say  nothing  of  the  Tennessee,  Holston,  and 
the  Conferences  farther  South.  The  Western  States 
were  rapidly  filling  up,  and  the  Methodist  Church 
was  keeping  pace  with  the  population.  To  the 
Kentucky  Conference,  as  well  as  to  others  equally 
interested,  the  establishment  of  a  paper  west  of 
the  Alleghany  Mountains  seemed  essential  to  the 
growing  demands  of  the  Church.  On  the  17th  day 
o!'  the  month  the  following  report  Avas  submitted 
by  the  committee,  and  adopted : 


Western    Cavaliers.  79 

"  In  answer  to  the  interrogatories  proposed  by  the 
Agents  at  New  York,  respecting  the  publication  of 
a  weekly  religious  paper,  kindred  in  character  with 
the  Christian  Advocate  and  Journal,  to  be  issued  at 
the  Book-room,  Cincinnati,  your  committee  give  it 
as  their  opinion,  briefly: 

"First,  That  the  establishment  of  such  a  paper  is 
not  only  expedient,  but  important  to  the  interests 
of  the  Church  in  the  West. 

"Secondly,  That  the  Agents  and  Book  Committee 
at  New  York  have  the  undoubted  and  constitutional 
right  to  establish  such  a  paper. 

"Thirdly,  That  the  power  to  appoint  the  editor 
belongs  to  the  Agents  and  Book  Committee,  and 
grows  naturally  out  of  their  right  to   establish   a 

paper. 

"Fourthly,  It  is  the  opinion  of  your  committee 
that,  in  making  the  appointment  of  editor,  the 
Agents  and  Book  Committee  will  be  expected  to 
consult  the  Western  Conferences  most  interested  in 
the  paper  proposed." 

The  first  number  of  the  paper,  with  Thomas  A. 
Morris  as  editor,  under  the  title  of  Western  Christian 
Advocate,  was  issued  in  the  following  April. 

At  this  session  of  the  Conference  a  communica- 
tion from  H.  W.  Rogers  and  John  Saunders  was 
read,  proposing  to  publish  a  newspaper  in  the  in- 
terest of  the  Church,  in  Kentucky,  and  asking  for 
the  patronage  of  the  Conference. 

The  Conference,  believing  that  their  allegiance 
was  to  the  Church  rather  than  to  sustain  an  indi- 
vidual enterprise,  promptly  declined  the  proposi- 


80  Western    Cavaliers. 

tion.*  They  felt  that  if  a  paper  were  establish  eel  in 
the  \W-st.  worthy  of  the  Church  and  capable  of  ex- 
erting an  influence  that  would  be  felt,  the  Kentucky 
Conference  must  cooperate  with  other  Conferences 
in  sustaining  it,  and  not  fritter  away  their  power  to 
do  good  by  giving  any  countenance  to  an  enterprise 
by  which  individual  prosperity,  and  not  the  weal  of 
the  Church,  would  be  promoted. 

While  in  the  Kentucky  Conference,  at  this  period, 
there  were  men  of  high  literary  attainments,  yet 
the  majority  of  the  body  had  not  enjoyed  the  ad- 
vantages of  a  first-class  education.  The  subject  of 
education  had,  however,  always  been  a  popular  one 
with  both  the  ministry  and  laymen  of  the  Methodist 
Church  in  Kentucky.  Augusta  College — the  first 
Methodist  institution  of  learning  in  this  country 
— belonged  conjointly  to  the  Ohio  and  Kentucky 
Conferences,  and  both  were  pledged  for  its  sup- 
port. 

A  deputation  from  Augusta  was  present,  to  rep- 
resent the  interests  of  that  institution.  The  Con- 
ference appointed  a  committee,  consisting  of  John 
Tevis,  Jonathan  Stamper,  George  C.  Light,  William 
Griinn,  and  Hubbard  H.  Kavanaugh,  to  confer  with 
the  deputation  from  the  College,  to  take  its  interests 
into  consideration,  and  "jointly  report  to  the  Con- 
ference as  soon  as  convenient." 

*The  following  resolution  was  adopted: 

"He-solved,  That  the  writers  of  this  communication  be  in- 
formed by  Brother  Kavanaugh  that,  in  the  opinion  of  this 
Conference,  it  is  inexpedient  to  attempt  the  establishment  of 
a  paper,  as  contemplated  by  said  communication.'' 


Western   Cavaliers.  81 

On  the  fourth  day  of  the  session  the  following 
report  was  submitted: 

"The  committee  appointed  to  confer  with  the 
deputation  from  Augusta  College,  having  performed 
the  duty  assigned  them,  unite  with  said  deputation 
in  submitting  to  the  Conference  the  following  reso- 
lutions— unanimously — as  their  report: 

"Resolved,  first,  That  the  plan  submitted  to  the 
Board  of  Trustees  of  Augusta  College,  for  the  en- 
dowment of  professorships  in  said  institution,  and 
which  has  received  the  sanction  of  the  Board,  duly, 
and  upon  the  basis  of  which  the  Ohio  Annual  Con- 
ference has  recently  endowed  the  '  McKendree  Pro- 
fessorship of  Moral  Science'  in  the  Augusta  College, 
is  every  way  worthy  of  confidence,  and  obviously 
calculated  to  secure  the  prosperity  and  permanence 
of  the  institution. 

"Resolved,  second,  That  this  Conference  adopt  the 
plan  proposed,  and  that  we  proceed  immediately  to 
the  endowment  of  another  professorship  in  the  Col- 
lege. 

"Resolved,  third,  That  we  select  for  this  purpose 
the  Professorship  of  Mathematics,  and  that  we  give 
some  suitable  honorary  designation,  as  suggested  in 
the  plan  of  endowment. 

"Resolved,  fourth,  That  this  Conference  will 
promptly  and  perseveringly  imitate  the  noble  ex- 
ample of  the  Ohio  Conference  in  creating  the  neces- 
sary fund  for  the  endowment  of  the  professorship 
selected." 

During  the  reading  of  these  resolutions  Bishop 
Roberts  was  in  the  chair.  As  soon  as  they  were 
4* 


82  Western    Cavaliers. 

adopted,  he  was  courteously  invited  to  vacate  it, 
and  George  C.  Light  was  called  upon  to  occupy  it, 
when  the  following  resolution  was  submitted  and 
unanimously  adopted : 

"Resolved,  That  the  professorship  selected  for  en- 
dowment by  the  Kentucky  Conference  be  denom- 
inated the  '  Roberts  Professorship  of  Mathematics,' 
in  consideration  of  the  untiring  zeal  and  persever- 
ing fidelity,  and  to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  the 
ministerial  worth  and  almost  unexampled  efforts, 
of  the  Rev.  Robert  R.  Roberts,  Bishop  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  especially  in  the  large 
amount  of  labor  contributed  by  him  in  the  West, 
in  building  up  and  extending  the  limits  and  influ- 
ence of  the  Church,  and  thus  effectually  increasing 
its  ability  in  the  extension  of  benevolent  enterprise, 
and  the  enlargement  of  its  field  of  operation;  and 
also  in  view  of  the  fostering  regard,  and  paternal 
solicitude  which  he  has  uniformly  evinced  in  be- 
half of  the  Institution,  as  originating  in  Western 
enterprise,  and  the  first  of  Methodist  origin  in  the 
United  States,  on  which  account  it  is  believed  there 
is  obvious  and  high  moral  fitness  in  the  honorary 
designation  of  the  professorship  agreed  upon  by 
the  Kentucky  Annual  Conference  in  the  adoption  of 
this  resolution." 

After  properly  acknowledging  the  courtesy  shown 
him  by  the  Conference,  the  Bishop  resumed  the 
chair. 

The  appropriateness  of  the  resolution  will  com- 
mend itself  to  every  one.  2To  minister,  no  Bishop, 
not  even  the  devoted  McKendree,  had  done  more 


Western    Cavaliers.  83 

for  the  advancement  of  the  Church  in  the  West 
than  had  Bishop  Roberts.  He  had  presided  over 
the  Kentucky  Conference  at  almost  every  session 
since  its  organization,  and  his  wisdom  had  safely 
guided  them  through  difficulties  on  more  than  one 
occasion. 

The  subject  of  ministerial  support  was  still  a  very 
embarrassing  one.  Whether  the  preachers  were 
successful  or  poor  financiers  was  a  question  that  ad- 
mitted of  controversy.  If  receiving  a  less  support 
than  any  other  body  of  men,  and  living  on  it,  was 
evidence  of  financial  skill,  then  the  premium  should 
certainly  be  awarded  them;  but  if  the  ability  to 
induce  liberality  on  the  part  of  the  people  is  neces- 
sary to  entitle  them  to  this  distinction,  they  must 
abandon  the  claim;  for  surely  the  contributions  of 
the  Church  were  neither  adequate  to  the  support 
of  the  preachers  nor  equal  to  the  ability  of  the 
Church. 

At  this  session  of  the  Conference  a  committee  of 
five  was  appointed,  consisting  of  George  C.  Light, 
Edward  Stevenson,  William  Hohnan,  Henry  B. 
Bascom,  and  Jonathan  Stamper,  to  draft  a  financial 
system. 

The  subject  of  temperance,  in  the  following  reso- 
lution, came  before  the  Conference: 

"Resolved,  That  this  Conference,  before  its  ad- 
journment, form  itself  into  a  Temperance  Society." 

Thomas  Lasley,  Hooper  Crews,  and  George  W. 
Taylor  were  appointed  a  committee  to  draft  a  Con- 
stitution for  a  Temperance  Society,  and  to  report 
on  the  following  day.     When  the  report  was  read, 


84  Western    Cavaliers. 

some  objections  were  made  to  it,  and  it  was  recom- 
mitted. This  was  just  on  the  eve  of  final  adjourn- 
ment; and,  as  the  committee  could  not  possibly 
revise  their  report  before  the  close  of  the  session, 
the  Conference  adopted  the  following  resolution: 

"Resolved,  by  the  Kentucky  Annual  Conference,  That 
we  will,  in  our  several  fields  of  labor,  do  what  we 
can  to  promote  the  temperance  enterprise  now  going 
forward  in  our  country." 

Intemperance,  like  a  sirocco,  was  sweeping  over 
the  land,  and  spreading  ruin  through  every  com- 
munity. Along  its  path  were  blighted  homes, 
ruined  fortunes,  and  blasted  characters.  The  tears 
of  wives,  mothers,  and  sisters,  and  the  penury,  and 
want,  and  grief  of  widows  and  orphans — made  such 
by  the  tremendous  curse — appealed  to  the  popular 
heart  to  stay  the  dreadful  evil.  The  appeal  was 
irresistible.  A  grand  movement  for  reform  in  this 
regard  had  been  inaugurated,  and  the  cause  of  tem- 
perance was  commanding  public  attention  as  it  had 
never  done  before.  It  was  certainly  proper  for  the 
Church  to  lead  the  van  in  this  great  moral  reform. 
The  Methodist  Church  in  Kentucky  was  fully 
abreast  with  the  spirit  of  the  times,  and  at  this 
early  period  took  a  proud  position,  from  which 
Bophistry,  ridicule,  and  abuse  have  never  been  able 
to  drive  them.  "  Wine  is  a  mocker,  strong  drink  is 
raging:  and  whosoever  is  deceived  thereby  is  not 
wise."  They  believed  that  the  man  who  professes 
Christianity,  and  makes,  vends,  or  uses  ardent  spirits 
as  a  beverage,  does  not  "abstain  from  every  appear- 
ance of  evil,"  but  plainly  violates  the  teachings  of 


Western    Cavaliers.  85 

the  word  of  God,  and  deserves  not  a  place  in  the 
Church  of  Christ.* 

An  address  from  "certain  brethren,"  of  the 
Greenville  Circuit,  on  the  subject  of  dress,  was  read 
on  Tuesday  morning,  the  17th  of  September,  and 
laid  on  the  table.  At  an  afternoon  session  on  the 
same  day  it  was  called  up,  and  the  consideration  of 
the  subject  postponed  until  the  ensuing  Annual 
Conference. 

The  address  of  these  brethren  recommended  uni- 
formity in  the  style  of  dress,  on  the  part  of  the 
members  of  the  Conference.  The  Conference,  how- 
ever, adopted  the  following  resolution : 

"  We,  the  members  of  the  Kentucky  Conference, 
being  convinced  of  the  propriety  of  uniformity  in 
dress,  therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  we  will  endeavor  to  return  to  old 
Methodism  on  this  subject." 

We  are  not  prepared  to  define  the  views  of  the 
brethren  as  to  what  "  old  Methodism  on  this  subject" 
was.  At  this  period  we  had  never  looked  upon  a 
Conference  of  Methodist  preachers.  Two  years 
later,  however,  we  enjoyed  this  pleasure,  and  were 

*  The  author  was  once  at  a  fashionable  dining,  given  him  in 
an  Eastern  city,  with  several  others.  On  the  table  were  many 
bottles  of  wine,  of  which  all  partook  except  himself.  One  of 
the  party,  after  drinking  a  glass  of  wine,  handed  him  his  glass, 
and  requested  him  to  pass  it  for  replenishing.  He  placed  the 
glass  in  front  of  his  plate,  when  he  repeated,  "Will  you  pass 
my  glass  for  more  wine  ?"  "  I  will  not,"  was  the  reply ;  "  I  have 
never  passed  any  man's  glass  for  wine,  and  never  will."  The 
host  immediately  took  every  bottle  from  the  table,  saying,  at 
the  same  time,  "  I  accept  the  reproof." 


86  Western    Cavaliers. 

struck  with  the  absence  of  all  uniformity  in  the 
style  of  their  dress.  The  ordinary  frock-coat  was 
the  style  generally  worn,  the  round  and  straight- 
breasted  the  exceptions. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  Conference  it  was  resolved 
to  observe  the  following  Friday  "  as  a  day  of  fasting, 
or  abstinence,  and  prayer  to  God  for  his  blessings 
on  "  themselves  and  the  work  with  which  they  might 
be  intrusted.  The  members  of  the  several  Churches 
in  Greensburg  were  invited  to  unite  with  them  in 
this  service. 

Quite  a  number  of  local  preachers  were  elected 
to  deacon's  orders,  among  whom  were  Edward  L. 
Southgate,  Daniel  Ruark,  Joseph  Sewell,  John  F. 
Strother,  Thomas  M.  Smith, Harmon  Bailey,  Thomas 
H.  Lyle,  Garland  Moore,  Elijah  Covington,  Benja- 
min Hill,  and  Stephen  Rogers. 

George  Stivers,  John  Brown,  James  Weaver,  and 
Thomas  Brooks  were  elected  to  elder's  orders. 

Amoiw  these  names  are  some  who  took  hi^h  rank 
in  the  ministry,  and  through  more  than  a  genera- 
tion exerted  an  influence  for  good.  '  Some  of  them 
yet  live  to  bless  the  Church  and  the  world. 

The  preaching  during  the  session  was  remarkable 
not  only  for  the  clear  and  forcible  manner  in  which 
the  great  truths  of  the  gospel  were  presented,  but 
for  the  unction  and  power  that  attended  it. 

On  Sunday,  at  eleven  o'clock,  Bishop  Roberts 
preached  in  the  Methodist  Church,  and  was  followed 
by  William  Adams,  at  three  o'clock.  At  night 
Henry  B.  Bascom,  Professor  of  Moral  Science  in 
Augusta   College,  and  the  most  eloquent  preacher 


Western   Cavaliers.  87 

in  America,  then  in  the  full  vigor  of  manhood,  also 
preached  in  the  Methodist  Church.  The  house  was 
densely  crowded,  and  hundreds  stood  at  the  doors 
and  windows  on  the  outside.  For  two  hours,  or 
longer,  the  immense  multitude  hung  in  breathless 
silence  on  his  lips,  wrhile  he  told  them  of  a  Saviour's 
love,  of  a  Redeemer  crucified,  of  the  sweet  comforts 
of  religion,  of  the  joys  of  the  blessed,  and  the  hor- 
rors of  the  damned.  The  effect  was  wonderful. 
On  Monday  morning,  in  an  appropriate  resolution, 
signed  by  John  James,  Edwrard  Stevenson,  and 
William  P.  McKnight,  he  was  requested  to  furnish 
a  copy  of  the  sermon  for  publication — the  first  re- 
quest of  the  kind  that  had  ever  been  made  by  the 
Kentucky  Conference. 

George  C.  Light  was  requested  to  preach  the  ser- 
mon in  memory  of  Barnabas  McHenry,  Marcus 
Lindsey,  and  Joseph  B.  Power,  and  Tuesday  after- 
noon, at  two  o'clock,  was  fixed  as  the  time  for  this 
service.  The  occasion  wTas  one  long  to  be  remem- 
bered. Joseph  B.  Power  had  been  called  away  in 
early  manhood,  before  he  had  fully  developed  as  a 
minister  of  Christ;  for  twenty-four  years  the  name 
of  Marcus  Lindsey  had  been  familiar  to  the  Church, 
and  for  nearly  all  that  period  he  had  been  a  gallant 
leader;  while  Barnabas  McHenry  had  planted  the 
standard  of  the  cross  in  the  West  nearly  half  a 
century  before.  To  portray  the  lives  and  labors  of 
these  excellent  men — to  follow  them  amid  the  varied 
scenes  through  which  they  had  passed — to  listen  to 
the  words  of  comfort,  of  exhortation,  and  of  cheer 
which    they  had  proclaimed  —  to  contemplate  the 


88  Western    Cavaliers. 

thousands  brought  to  Christ  through  their  ministry 
— to  catch  the  strains  of  more  than  mortal  music  as 
they  fell  from  their  dying  lips,  and  then  to  accom- 
pany them  to  the  great  beyond,  and  hear  the  notes 
of  welcome  as  they  entered  upon  eternal  life — was 
the  privilege  of  the  preacher  on  this  occasion. 
Many  were  incited  to  higher  aims  and  nobler  pur- 
poses as  they  contemplated  the  characters  of  these 
cavaliers. 

At  this  session  seventy-nine  dollars  and  seventy-five 
cents  was  reported  for  missions,  and  forty -two  dollars 
and  twenty-five  cents  for  Publishing  Fund,  which,  al- 
though small,  was  a  handsome  increase  over  that  of 
the  previous  year.  The  preachers  were  still  poorly 
supported,  receiving  less  than  for  the  previous  year, 
while  only  one  hundred  and  twenty -six  dollars  and 
forty-five  cents  was  contributed  by  the  Church,  in 
the  Conference,  to  make  up  the  deficiencies  and  to 
support  nineteen  superannuated  preachers  and  the 
widows  and  orphans  of  deceased  preachers.  The 
Conference  was  also  authorized  to  draw  on  the  Book 
Concern  for  four  hundred  dollars,  and  on  the  Charter 
Fund  for  seventy  five -dollars. 

Edward  L.  Southgate,  William  Outten,  Claiborne 
Pirtle,  John  W.  Riggin,  John  Carr  Harrison,  Daniel 
Sherwood,  Thomas  E.  Thompson,  Elijah  M.  Bosley, 
Eli  B.  Crane,  Alberry  L.  Alderson,  and  Moses  Evans 
this  year  entered  the  list  of  cavaliers. 

Among  those  who,  the  year  before,  had  joined 
their  fortunes  with  this  band  of  noble  men,  only 
one  proposed  to  retire  from  the  ranks  —  Joseph  W. 
Shultz  was  discontinued,  at  his  own  request. 


Western   Cavaliers.  89 

Robert  F.  Turner,  Isaac  Malone,  Samuel  Heliums, 
Daniel  II.  Tevis,  Moses  Clampit,  and  William  Mc- 
Reynolds,  located. 

It  is  difficult  for  a  faithful  minister  of  the  gospel 
to  retire  from  the  pastoral  work.  Called  to  preach 
the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ,  and  having  taken 
upon  himself  the  vows  of  ordination,  which  bind 
him  to  devote  his  life  to  exhorting  sinners  to  repent- 
ance, the  consent  of  his  mind  to  abandon  a  work  to 
which  he  was  pledged  by  every  motive  of  happi- 
ness and  of  duty  is  not  easily  obtained.  If  health 
fails,  or  if  the  health  of  his  family  demands  it,  he 
may  retire  until  the  obstruction  is  removed;  but 
nothing  less  than  this  can  justify  the  surrender  of 
duty. 

Robert  F.  Turner,  Isaac  Malone,  Samuel  Heliums, 
and  Moses  Clampit  were  unable,  because  of  feeble 
health,  to  prosecute  the  duties  of  itinerant  work. 
We  have  no  information  as  to  the  motive  which  in- 
fluenced the  location  of  William  McReynolds.  He 
was  a  good  and  true  man.  Daniel  H.  Tevis  had 
tailed  to  attend  to  his  work,  and  was  located  by  the 
Conference. 

Of  those  who  the  previous  year  were  on  the  list 
of  the  superannuated,  only  John  Denham  and  Lit- 
tleton Fowler  were  placed  on  the  effective  list,  the 
latter  having  been  transferred  to  the  Tennessee  Con- 
ference. We  have  already  referred  to  the  location 
of  Samuel  Heliums  and  Moses  Clampit,  and  the 
death  of  Barnabas  McIIenry  and  Joseph  B.  Power. 

To  the  list  of  the  superannuated  for  this  year 
are  added  the  names  of  Richard  Corwine,  Thomas 


90  Western   Cavaliers. 

Waring,  Milton  Jamieson,  Edward  Stevenson,  John 

Johnson,  and  Samuel  Harrison. 

The  appointments  at  the  present  Conference  show 
that  but  few  preachers  were  returned  to  the  fields 
of  labor  they  had  occupied  one  year  before.  Wil- 
liam G-unn,  the  sweet  singer,  was  still  the  leader  of 
the  hosts  in  the  Lexington  District;  Richard  Ty- 
dings,  in  the  Augusta;  William  Adams,  in  the  llar- 
rodsburg;  Benjamin  T.  Crouch,  in  the  Louisville; 
and  George  W.  Taylor,  in  the  Greensburg.  The 
only  change  that  was  made  in  the  presiding  elder- 
ship was  the  appointment  of  Isaac  Collard,  a  good 
and  true  man,  to  the  Hopkinsville  District,  in  the 
place  of  John  Johnson,  whose  health  had  failed, 
and  who  had  been  placed  on  the  list  of  the  superan- 
nuated. 

The  Burlington  Circuit  was  still  served  by  James 
C.  Crow,  a  most  exemplary  young  preacher,  while 
the  eccentric  Josiah  Whitaker  was  returned  to  the 
Falmouth  Circuit.  On  the  Germantown  Circuit  we 
again  seethe  popular  and  zealous  Francis  Landram, 
and  on  the  Little  Sandy  the  plain  and  unostentatious 
James  II.  Brooking.  The  Church  in  Mount  Ster- 
ling had  requested  the  reappointment  of  Henry  S. 
Duke,  and  the  Bishop  had  complied  with  their 
wishes;  and  Lewell  Campbell,  the  sledge-hammer 
of  the  Conference,  was  permitted  to  remain  on  the 
Newcastle  Circuit.  With  these  exceptions,  the 
preachers  were  sent  to  new  charges. 

Before  the  lapse  of  a  month  every  cavalier  had 
entered  fully  upon  the  work  to  which  he  had  been 
assigned.     The  revivals,  which  during  the  previous 


Western   Cavaliers.  91 

year  had  swept  over  the  State,  had  somewhat  abated, 
yet  a  deep  religious  feeling  pervaded  almost  every 
community,  and  impressions  had  been  made  in  favor 
of  Methodism  that  would  never  be  effaced. 

A  more  zealous  band  of  men  had  never  entered 
the  itinerant  ranks  than  those  composing  the  Ken- 
tucky Conference  at  this  period.  Controlled  by  a 
single  desire — the  salvation  of  the  souls  of  the  peo- 
ple— there  was  no  sacrifice  they  were  unwilling  to 
make,  and  no  hardship  which  they  would  not  cheer- 
fully encounter.  Others  might  travel  the  paths  that 
lead  to  wealth,  to  pleasure,  to  fame;  but,  influenced 
by  duty,  they  regarded  no  danger  too  great  to  be 
braved,  and  no  obstacle  a  serious  hinclerance  to  their 
progress.  To  build  up  the  Church,  to  repair  the 
waste  places  of  Zion,  and  to  persuade  sinners  to  be 
reconciled  to  God,  were  the  aim  and  only  business 
of  their  lives.  They  desired  success,  and  their  de- 
sire was  fulfilled. 

The  winter  of  1833  and  1834  passed  away  with 
no  special  demonstration  of  Divine  power.  In  the 
several  Districts,  however,  some  were  added  to  the 
Church  and  converted  to  God.  In  the  city  of  Lex- 
ington, under  the  faithful  ministry  of  Hubbard  H. 
Xavanaugh,  there  was  a  gracious  revival,  which  com- 
menced on  the  5th  of  January,  1834,  at  which  one 
hundred  and  eighty-one  persons  joined  the  Church; 
while  in  the  Lexington  Circuit,  whose  preachers 
were  the  zealous  Absalom  Woolliscroft  and  the 
gifted  William  Phillips,  more  than  three  hundred 
persons  were  converted  and  became  members  of  the 
Church.     Lorenzo  D.  Parker,  a  son  of  consolation, 


92  WE  S  T  E  R  N     C  A  V  ALIERS. 

and  one  of  the  sweetest-spirited  preachers  we  ever 
knew,  had  charge  of  the  Port  William  Circuit, 
which  included  the  present  town  of  Carrollton  (then 
called  Port  William),  at  the  month  of  the  Kentucky 
River.  Feeble  in  health,  he  prosecuted  his  work 
with  a  zeal  which  even  his  failing  strength  could 
not  dampen,  and  success  crowned  his  labors.  In 
the  early  part  of  the  year  his  circuit  was  blessed 
with  some  revival  influence,  which  gradually  deep- 
ened and  widened  until  three  hundred  and  thirteen 
souls  "passed  from  death  unto  life."  At  Newport 
and  Covington,  where  Joseph  Marsee  proclaimed 
the  tidings  of  a  Redeemer's  love,  at  the  third  quar- 
terly-meeting, commencing  on  the  2d  of  May,  in 
the  city  of  Covington,  thirty  persons  asked  for 
membership  in  the  Church,  and  on  the  following 
Tuesday  evening,  at  a  love-feast  held  in  Newport, 
six  others  availed  themselves  of  the  same  privilege. 
Passing  to  the  Augusta  District,  we  see  Richard 
Tydings,  the  beloved  disciple,  leading  to  battle  and 
to  victory.  In  every  part  of  his  large  District  his 
influence  is  seen  and  his  power  felt.  In  the  Ger- 
mantown  Circuit,  under  the  ministry  of  Francis 
Landrum  and  Richard  Deering — the  latter  a  mere 
youth,  just  admitted  on  trial,  but  who  had  trav- 
eled the  previous  year  on  the  Hinekstone  Circuit, 
under  the  appointment  of  the  Presiding  Elder — God 
graciously  revived  his  work.  Early  in  the  month 
of  -May  the  good  work  began,  and  before  the  frosts 
of  autumn  more  than  one  hundred  persons  em- 
braced religion.  The  Fleming  Circuit  enjoyed  a 
richer  display  of  Divine  power.     Under  the  indefat- 


Western   Cavaliers.  93 

igable  labors  of  Richard  Bird  and  John  W.  Riggin 
more  than  two  hundred  persons  cast  in  their  lot 
with  the  people  of  God.  The  Lewis  and  Big  Sandy 
Circuits — the  former  with  the  energetic  Martin  L. 
Eades,  and  the  latter  with  the  simple-hearted  Thomas 
Hall  and  the  young  and  promising  Gilby  Kelly,  as 
the  pastors — enjoyed  times  of  refreshing  from  the 
presence  of  the  Lord.  In  the  Lewis  Circuit  there 
were  nearly  two  hundred  additions  to  the  Church, 
and  in  the  Big  Sandy  more  than  half  that  number 
became  followers  of  the  meek  and  lowly  Jesus. 

In  the  Harrodsburg  District  the  revival  influence 
seemed  to  be  confined  to  its  more  rugged  portions. 
John  Williams  and  Richard  Holding — the  latter 
one  of  the  purest  men  we  ever  knewT — traveled  the 
Mount  Vernon  Circuit,  and  Carlisle  Babbit,  Elijah 
Sutton,  and  Moses  Evans,  the  Cumberland  Mission. 
In  the  Mount  Vernon  Circuit  about  fifty  persons 
were  added  to  the  Church,  and  in  the  Cumberland 
Mission  more  than  two  hundred.* 

*In  the  Western  Christian  Advocate  of  June  11,  1834,  Mr. 
Babbit  writes:  "This  Mission  is  in  the  wilderness  of  Ken- 
tucky, almost  surrounded  by  high  and  rugged  mountains,  in- 
cluding three  or  four  hundred  miles  of  boundary,  located  on 
the  head-waters  of  Cumberland  River.  Since  September  wTe 
have  extended  our  labors  and  taken  in  eighteen  preaching- 
stands  on  the  head  of  Kentucky  River.  In  some  parts  of 
this  country  Methodism  has  never  been  known,  and  the  re- 
ligion of  Jesus  is  an  entire  stranger.  Numbers  that  have 
come  to  years  of  maturity  had  never  heard  a  gospel-sermon, 
nor  attended  Divine  service,  previous  to  our  arrival,  as  1  have 
been  credibly  informed.  Add  to  this,  as  near  as  I  have  been 
able  to  learn,  a  majority  of  the  rising  generation  cannot  read 


94  Western   Cavaliers. 

The  Louisville  District  shows  a  large  increase  in 
the  membership  during  this  year.  The  Shelby  and 
the  Taylorsville  Circuits  show  a  small  decrease,  but 
in  every  other  charge  in  the  District  there  were  ex- 
tensive revivals  of  religion.  K"o  cavalier  was  more 
devoted  to  his  work,  and  none  knew  better  how  to 
marshal  his  forces,  than  Benjamin  T.  Crouch.  Either 
in  a  defense  or  an  attack,  he  had  but  few  peers. 
His  example  impressed  those  associated  with  him 
with  the  importance  of  punctuality  and  promptness, 
and  inspired  them  with  a  confidence  that  no  diffi- 
culties could  dampen.* 

For  several  months  previous  to  the  Conference  of 
1833  the  Shelbyville  and  Brick  Chapel  Station  was 
left  without  a  pastor,  in  consequence  of  the  death  of 
Marcus  Lindsey.  The  names  of  the  most  distin- 
guished preachers  in  the  State  were  mentioned  in 
connection  with  that  station  for  the  ensuing  year. 
Shelbyville  had  been  served  by  such  men  as  Tevis, 
Stevenson,  Light,  Stamper,  and  Lindsey,  and  the 
Church,  comprising  a  membership  distinguished  for 
their  intelligence  and  culture  no  less  than  for  their 
enlightened  piety,  had  a  right  to  expect  a  preacher 
of  experience  to  be  sent  to  them. 

A  young  man  had  entered  the  Conference  in 
1828,  and  for  two  consecutive  years  had  traveled 

or  spell,  and  you  know  there  is  something  more  than  pulpit 
exertion  to  be  attended  to  in  cases  of  this  kind.  One  hun- 
dred and  forty-five  have  joined  the  Church  since  Conference." 
*  For  three  years  Mr.  Crouch  was  our  Presiding  Elder. 
Inning  this  period  he  was  never  absent  from  a  quarterly- 
meeting  in  our  work,  and  never  reached  one  too  late. 


Western   Cavaliers.  95 

the  Breckinridge  Circuit;  in  1830  he  was  stationed 
in  Bowling  Green;  in  1831  he  was  appointed  to  the 
Germantown  Circuit,  and  in  1832  to  the  Cynthiana 
Station.  In  these  several  fields  of  labor  he  had 
accomplished  good,  and  left  behind  him  the  savor 
of  a  good  name;  yet  beyond  these  charges  he  was 
scarcely  known.  In  1833  he  was  sent  to  Shelby  - 
ville  and  Brick  Chapel,  to  succeed  the  gifted  and 
sainted  Lindsey. 

George  W.  Brush  was  born  in  Rockbridge  county, 
Virginia,  October  28,  1805.  His  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Nancy  Caven,  was  born  in  the 
North  of  Ireland ;  his  grandmother  on  his  mother's 
side — Elizabeth  McCaw — was  reared  in  Scotland, 
and  belonged  to  the  Kirk.  Rockbridge  county,  Vir- 
ginia, had  been  the  home  of  his  paternal  ancestry 
for  several  generations.  His  father — John  Brush — 
and  Blakeley  Brush,  his  grandfather,  were  born  in 
that  county,  and  also  his  great-grandfather,  who 
was  killed  by  the  Indians.  John  Brush  removed  to 
Kentucky  in  November,  1806,  and  settled  in  Shelby 
county,  where  his  son  remained  until  1824,  when  we 
find  him  in  Bullitt  county,  teaching  a  small  country 
school.  His  parents  were  prominent  and  zealous 
members  of  the  Presbyterian  Church;  and,  although 
their  son  was  distinguished  rather  for  his  wildness 
than  for  any  adaptation  to  the  pulpit,  it  was  their 
earnest  desire  that  he  should  become  a  minister  in 
their  Church.  With  but  little  or  no  inclination 
toward  a  religious  life,  he,  however,  attended  preach- 
ing at  the  Church  of  his  parents,  occasionally  vis- 
iting a  Baptist  or  a  Methodist  meeting,  when  there 


96  Western    Cavaliers. 

was  no  preaching  in  their  Church.  His  mother,  al- 
though   prejudiced  against  the  Methodists,  was  a 

woman  whose  piety  was  deep  and  uniform.  On  one 
occasion  she  attended  a  Methodist  camp-meeting  on 
a  week-day,  hardly  thinking  it  proper  for  a  Chris- 
tian woman  to  be  found  at  such  a  place  on  the  Sab- 
bath; and,  in  an  account  of  the  meeting  she  gave  in 
her  family,  she  said:  "  Some  of  the  people  were  cook- 
ing, some  talking,  some  coming,  some  going,  and 
quite  a  number  about  the  stand,  where  they  were 
singing,  praying,  shouting,  and,  after  awhile,  preach- 
ing;" and  she  added:  "But  the  one  we  heard  spoke 
well,  indeed,  and  seemed  to  be  a  good  man,  and  well 
acquainted  with  the  Scriptures." 

Young  Brush  had  heard  one  or  two  local  preachers 
in  the  Methodist  Church,  under  whose  ministry  he 
had  been  made  to  feel  uneasy;  and  under  a  sermon 
preached  by  Dr.  Clelland  he  had  been  greatly 
alarmed,  and  in  the  church  cried  aloud  for  mercy. 
His  religious  impressions,  however,  were  soon  ef- 
faced, and  in  the  society  of  wild  associates  he 
drowned  the  voice  of  conscience,  and  forgot  the 
teachings  of  childhood.  The  first  traveling  preacher 
with  whom  he  ever  met  was  Benjamin  T.  Crouch, 
for  whom  he  entertained  feelings  of  the  highest  re- 
gard. 

In  the  autumn  of  1826  Richard  D.  Neale,  distin- 
guished for  his  zeal,  was  appointed  to  the  Jefferson 
Circuit,  which  included  Bullitt  county,  in  which 
George  Yv  .  Brush  resided.  Sociable  in  his  disposition 
ami  courteous  in  his  manner,  the  zealous  preacher 
soon  won  upon  the  affections  of  the  young  school- 


Western    Cavaliers.  97 

master,  who,  through  his  instrumentality,  was 
brought  into  the  Methodist  Church,  and  soundly 
converted  to  God.  Feeling  that  he  was  called  to 
preach  the  gospel,  he  reluctantly  yielded  to  his  con- 
victions, and  on  the  6th  of  October,  1828,  he  was 
licensed  to  preach  by  Marcus  Lindsey,  and  at  once 
entered  the  itinerant  ranks. 

The  appointment  of  George  W.  Brush  to  the 
Shelbyville  and  Brick  Chapel  Station  was  unex- 
pected alike  to  the  preacher  and  the  congregation. 
The  Church,  however,  received  him  kindly,  and  in 
the  spirit  of  the  Master  he  entered  upon  his  work. 
He  reached  his  new  field  in  due  time,  and  preached 
at  eleven  o'clock,  on  the  first  Sunday,  at  the  Brick 
Chapel,  to  a  crowded  audience,  several  of  whom  re- 
sided in  Shelbyville.  At  night  his  appointment  was 
in  the  town,  and  not  only  the  Methodists,  but  the 
members  of  other  Churches,  were  present  to  give 
him  a  welcome.  The  church  was  densely  packed. 
The  good  John  Tevis  was  sitting  in  the  pulpit,  and 
the  pious  William  Atherton  in  the  altar.  A  slender 
young  man,  with  a  pleasant  countenance,  nearly  six 
feet  high,  weighing  about  one  hundred  and  fifty 
pounds,  with  grayish-blue  eyes  and  jet-black  hair, 
entered  the  church,  and  walked  into  the  pulpit.  It 
was  Geonjc  W.  Brush,  the  new  preacher*  He  read 
liis  hymn,  after  which  the  congregation  sang;  he 
then  prayed,  and  another  hymn  was  read  and  sung. 
"Therefore  let  no  man  glory  in  men:  for  all  things 
arc  yours;  whether  Paul,  or  Apollos,  or  Cephas,  or 

*  We  resided  in  Shelbyville,  and  had  just  joined  the  Church, 
:ind  were  present  on  this  occasion. 
5 


98  Western    Cavaliers. 

the  world,  or  life,  or  death,  or  things  present,  or 
things  to  come;  all  arc  yours;  and  ye  are  Christ's; 
and  Christ  is  God's,''  was  announced  as  the  text. 
The  sermon  was  brief,  delivered  in  a  plain,  conver- 
sational style.  In  it  there  was  nothing  great,  ac- 
cording to  the  estimation  of  the  world;  there  was  no 
rhetorical  display,  no  burst  of  eloquence,  no  flash 
of  lightning,  no  peal  of  thunder;  it  was  the  message 
of  life  and  salvation,  delivered  not  in  "  enticing 
words  of  man's  wisdom,"  but  in  the  simplicity  of 
gospel  truth. 

If  in  the  pulpit  Mr.  Brush  made  a  favorable  im- 
pression upon  the  Church  he  was  appointed  to  serve, 
in  his  social  intercourse  he  made  friends  in  every 
circle.  Sociable  in  his  disposition,  and  pleasant  in 
his  intercourse  with  the  community,  he  won  the 
hearts  of  the  people  in  other  Communions  as  well  as 
in  his  own.  As  a  preacher  he  was  not  considered 
great,  yet  crowds  waited  upon  his  ministry,  and 
each  person  left  the  house  of  God,  after  hearing 
him,  resolved  to  be  better  than  ever  before.  His 
preaching  was  peculiar.  No  one  preached  as  he 
did,  and  he  copied  from  no  other  person.  Short, 
pointed,  practical  sermons,  from  week  to  week,  fell 
from  his  lips,  and  urged  his  congregation  to  a  better, 
a  holier,  and  a  higher  life.  Under  his  ministry  a 
Bible-class  was  formed,  of  which  he  was  the  leader; 
the  Sunday-school  prospered;  the  prayer-meetings 
were  well  attended;  the  class-room  was  crowded, 
and  prospects  for  a  revival  were  more  promising 
than  they  had  been  for  many  years.  Everybody 
knew  the  preacher,  and  everybody  loved  him.      He 


Western   Cavaliers.  99 

visited  the  homes  of  wealth  and  influence,  and  was 
the  companion  of  the  poor  and  the  humble;  his 
prayers  went  up  from  every  family  altar,  and  from 
the  bedside  of  the  sick  and  the  dying. 

The  winter  was  over;  gentle  spring,  with  its  sun- 
shine and  flowers,  came  and  passed  away.  On  the 
3d  of  June  the  third  quarterly-meeting  commenced. 
The  Church  had  been  looking  to  this  occasion  with 
prayerful  interest.  In  the  class-room  the  quarterly- 
meeting  was  talked  of,  and  prayers  were  offered  for 
a  revival  of  the  work  of  God.  On  the  street  mem- 
bers of  the  Church  conversed  freely  on  the  subject 
of  religion,  and  not  only  expressed  the  hope  that 
souls  would  be  converted  during  the  meeting,  but 
that  much  good  would  be  done.  From  the  com- 
mencement of  the  meeting  the  signs  of  the  times 
were  favorable  for  a  general  outpouring  of  the  Spirit 
upon  the  people.  The  first  night  penitents  were 
invited  to  the  altar,  and  several  persons  presented 
themselves  for  the  prayers  of  the  Church,  and  two 
or  three  professed  faith  in  Christ.  As  the  meeting 
progressed  the  interest  increased,  and  before  a  week 
had  elapsed  the  altar  was  crowded  with  persons 
anxiously  inquiring  the  way  of  life  and  salvation, 
and  many  had  "  passed  from  death  unto  life."  *  In 
the  Western  Christian  Advocate  of  June  20  a  letter 
from  the  pastor  of  the  Church  was  published,  dated 
June  11,  in  which  he  says:  "Our  third  quarterly- 
meeting  commenced  eight  days  since,  and  we  are 
holding  it  still.    Fifty-eight  whites  and  twenty-eight 

*  Messrs.  Crouch,  Grunn,  Stamper,  Tevis,  Atherton,  Rice,  and 
other  preachers,  were  present  and  assisted  at  this  meeting. 


100  Western   Cavaliers. 

colored  joined;  fifty  converted;  meeting  yet  going 
on." 

As  the  meeting  was  protracted  from  day  to  day, 
and  from  week  to  week,  its  influence  permeated  the 
entire  community,  extending  to  every  class  of  so- 
ciety, awakening  the  young  and  the  old,  embracing 
many  heads  of  families — men  and  women  of  influ- 
ence— and  reaching  to  those  who  had  hitherto  been 
impervious  to  the  claims  of  religion.*  Some  who 
up  to  this  time  had  discarded  Christianity  altogether, 
and  were  distinguished  for  their  wickedness,  recog- 
nized the  claims  of  religion,  bowed  to  the  scepter  of 
Christ,  and  became  burning  and  shining  lights  in 
the  Church  of  God,  while  many  remembered  "their 
Creator  in  the  days  of  their  youth,"  some  of  whom 
are  yet  living  to  adorn  the  profession  they  macle.f 

During  the  entire  meeting  commendable  zeal  was 
displayed  by  the  membership  of  the  Church,  who 
contributed  largely  to  its  success.  They  visited  and 
conversed  freely  on  the  subject  of  religion  with 
such  as  were  serious,  and  bore  an  active  part  in  the 

*The  author's  father  and  mother,  also  his  uncle — Samuel 
Wise  Topping,  by  whose  charity  he  was  brought  up  and  edu- 
cated— joined  the  Church  at  this  time. 

f  During  the  progress  of  the  meeting  Mr.  Brush  met  on  the 
street  Thomas  P.  Wilson,  an  eminent  lawyer,  and  Judge  of  the 
Circuit  Court,  and  said  to  him:  "Judge  Wilson,  what  would 
you  think  of  me  if  I  were  to  remain  here  a  year,  and  say 
nothing  to  you  about  saving  your  soul?"  "  I  would  regard 
you  as  a  very  unfaithful  preacher,"  was  the  reply.  "  What 
does  Mrs.  Wilson  think  on  this  subject?"  he  then  asked. 
"Call  and  see  her,  and  inquire  for  yourself,"  replied  the  judge. 
On  the  Friday  following  this  conversation  Judge  Wilson,  with 
his  wife,  and  son,  and  sister-in-law,  joined  the  Church. 


Western   Cavaliers.  101 

exercises  of  the  altar.  Among  them  no  one  con- 
tributed more  to  the  interest  than  Mrs.  Amanda 
McGrath,*  a  young  and  accomplished  widow,  deeply 
pious  and  devoted  to  the  Church.  Gifted  in  prayer, 
her  appeals  before  the  throne  of  grace  not  only 
reached  the  ear  of  Jehovah,  but  melted  many  an 
obdurate  heart. f 

The  entire  community  was  aroused,  and  not  only 
the  village,  but  the  surrounding  country,  was  in  a 
blaze.  From  the  rural  districts  the  people  came 
several  miles  to  church,  and  many  who  were 
prompted  to  attend  these  meetings  through  curios- 
ity became  awakened,  and  returned  to  their  homes 
"  clothed  and  in  their  right  mind."  Indeed,  so  great 
was  the  influence  excited  that  a  holy  atmosphere 
seemed  to  surround  the  place  of  worship. J  When 
the  meeting  closed  nearly  two  hundred  persons  had 
been  converted. § 

While  the  Methodist  Church  in  Shelbyville  was 

*  Mrs.  McGrath  became  the  wife  of  the  Kev.  Richard  Deering, 
and  is  the  mother  of  the  Rev.  John  R.  Deering,  of  the  Ken- 
tucky Conference. 

f  Her  father,  John  McGaughey,  Esq.,  was  brought  into  the 
Church,  at  this  meeting,  through  her  instrumentality. 

J  A  gentleman  said  to  the  author,  several  years  after  this 
meeting,  that  when  he  entered  the  church-yard,  during  its 
progress,  he  felt  a  religious  influence  he  could  not  express. 

§  A  young  man  professed  religion  during  this  meeting,  and 
joined  the  Methodist  Church.  His  uncle  and  guardian,  who 
was  a  prominent  member  of  the  Campbellite  Church,  was  dis- 
satisfied with  this  step  on  the  part  of  his  nephew,  and  required 
him  to  withdraw  from  the  Methodist  Church  and  to  join  the 
Campbellite  Church.  This  compulsion  unsettled  him  in  his 
religious  character,  and  he  soon  became  a  wreck  in  his  morals. 


102  Western   Cavaliers. 

being  so  greatly  blessed  other  denominations  of 
Christians  received  valuable  accessions  to  their 
Churches. 

The  influence  of  this  extraordinary  revival  did 
not  stop  with  the  close  of  the  meeting.  Two  months 
later  a  camp-meeting  was  held  at  Cardwell's  Camp- 
ground, three  miles  east  of  Shelby  ville,  and  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Brick  Chapel.  The  meeting  was  one 
of  great  power.  On  one  occasion  during  its  prog- 
ress the  heavens  became  black  with  angry  clouds, 
fierce  lightnings  leaped  along  the  sky,  and  thunder 
muttered  solemn  peals.  The  audience  retired  to 
the  tents.  The  rain  fell  in  torrents — it  was  eleven 
o'clock  in  the  forenoon — and  at  nightfall  there  was 
no  abatement;  the  stars  were  still  concealed,  and 
the  elements  appeared  to  be  engaged  in  angry  strife. 
Peace  and  joy,  however,  reigned  within  the  tents. 
Preaching,  exhortation,  singing,  prayer,  followed  in 
quick  succession ;  cries  for  mercy  rent  the  air ; 
shouts  of  converted  souls  pierced  the  heavens ;  the 
Church  partook  of  the  joy.  On  that  memorable 
night  about  forty  souls  were  converted.*  Nearly 
one  hundred  persons  professed  religion  at  that 
camp-meeting. 

William  B.  Landrum  was  born  in  Fluvanna 
county,  Virginia,  May  14,  1803.  He  entered  the 
Conference  the  same  year  with  George  W.  Brush. 
The  great-grandfather  of  Mr.  Landrum  was  a 
Scotchman,  but  emigrated  to  America  at  an  early 
day,  and  settled  in  Virginia.      His  grandfather  — 

*The  author's  mother,  who  had  joined  the  Church  in  .June 
preceding,  as  a  seeker  of  religion,  was  converted  that  night. 


Western    Cavaliers.  103 

Francis  Landrum — who  was  born  in  Essex  county, 
Virginia,  September  19,  1739,  became  a  Methodist 
preacher,  and  was  identified  with  Asbury,  Waters, 
Drumgoole,  Poythress,  and  others,  who  laid  the 
foundation  of  Methodism  in  that  State,  a  hundred 
years  ago. 

From  the  introduction  of  Methodism  into  this 
country,  the  family  of  William  B.  Landrum  had 
been  identified  with  the  Methodist  Church.  At  the 
knees  of  his  mother  he  was  early  taught  the  prin- 
ciples of  religion,  and  before  the  removal  of  his 
parents  to  Kentucky,  which  occurred  in  the  autumn 
of  1810,  his  impressions  on  the  subject  were  deep 
and  abiding.  They  spent  the  first  winter  after  their 
removal  to  Kentucky  at  Boonsboro,  in  Madison 
county;  but  in  the  following  spring  they  removed 
to  Clarke  county,  where  they  settled  permanently. 
A  "meeting-house" — a  rude  log  building,  with  dirt 
floor,  situated  on  the  land  of  Thomas  Landrum — 
belonging  to  the  Hinckstone  Circuit,  was  the  "tem- 
ple" where  the  Landrum  family  attended  circuit 
preaching.  The  pulpit  from  which  the  preacher 
dispensed  the  word  of  life  had  a  puncheon  floor, 
and  two  forks  driven  into  the  ground,  with  a  cross- 
piece,  for  a  hand-board.  Although  the  circuit  was 
large,  embracing  several  counties,  every  two  weeks 
the  gospel  was  preached  in  this  neighborhood.  Such 
men  as  Kelson,  Bhoton,  McMahon,  Lakin,  Stamper, 
and  Hunt  traveled  this  circuit,  and  under  their  min- 
istry, with  the  instructions  of  a  pious  home,  the 
religious  character  of  William  B.  Landrum  was 
formed. 


104  Western    Cavaliers. 

In  the  summer  of  1821,  while  reading  '-Baxter's 
Call  to  the  Unconverted,"  he  was  powerfully  awak- 
ened to  a  sense  of  his  condition  as  a  sinner,  and  on 
the  26th  of  August  he  joined  the  Church  as  a  seeker 
of  religion.  It  was  not,  however,  until  the  spring 
of  1822  that  he  obtained  the  forgiveness  of  his  sins. 
Soon  after  his  conversion  he  was  placed  in  the  re- 
sponsible position  of  class-leader.  In  1827  he  was 
licensed  to  exhort,  and  in  1828  to  preach. 

At  the  Conference  of  1828  he  was  admitted  on 
trial,  and  appointed  to  the  Little  River  Circuit,  with 
William  Cundiff.  In  1829  we  find  him  on  the  Som- 
erset Circuit,  with  Elijah  Knox  as  his  colleague.  In 
1830  his  field  of  labor  is  the  Henry  Circuit,  with 
William  Helm,  and  in  1831  he  travels  the  Lewis 
Circuit  alone.  At  the  Conference  of  1832  his  name 
appears  in  connection  with  the  Livingston  Circuit, 
in  the  Hopkinsville  District,  having  Napoleon  B. 
Lewis,  who  was  employed  by  the  Presiding  Elder, 
as  his  colleague. 

At  his  first  cpiarterly-meeting  on  the  Little  River 
Circuit,  Mr.  Landrum  received  fifty  cents  quarter- 
age, and  twenty-five  cents  to  meet  his  expenses  for 
traveling  from  Shelby ville,  the  seat  of  the  Confer- 
ence, to  Christian  county,  a  distance  of  about  two 
hundred  miles.  Thirty-five  dollars  was  paid  him 
for  the  entire  year. 

On  the  Somerset  Circuit,  which,  embraced  the 
counties  of  Wayne,  Pulaski,  Russell,  Adair,  and 
Casey,  he  received  thirty-three  dollars  during  the 
year.  On  the  Henry  Circuit  his  receipts  were  fifty 
dollars,  and  on  the  Lewis  sixty  dollars.     In  all  these 


Western    Cavaliers.  105 

fields  of  labor  Mr.  Landrum  was  a  useful  minister 
of  Jesus  Christ.  Notwithstanding  his  meager  sup- 
port, no  murmur  falls  from  his  lips,  but  in  his  Au- 
tobiography, now  before  me,  he  dwells  upon  the 
kindness  of  the  people.  Hundreds  of  miles  fre- 
quently separated  him  from  his  parents,  but,  with 
true  filial  affection,  he  never  failed  to  visit  them 
twice  a  year. 

At  the  Conference  of  1833,  with  Foster  Ii.  Blades 
—  the  smooth-faced  boy  to  whom  we  alluded  in 
Chapter  I. — as  his  colleague,  he  was  appointed  to 
the  Hartford  Circuit,  which  was  embraced  in  the 
Louisville  District. 

The  Hartford  Circuit  was  one  of  the  oldest  in  the 
Conference,  appearing  in  the  Minutes  as  early  as 
1804.  In  this  circuit  Mr.  Landrum  was  thrown 
among  a  people  where  Methodism  had  been  long 
established,  and  where  a  field  of  usefulness  presented 
itself,  upon  which  he  entered  with  energy  and  zeal. 

His  colleague  had  joined  the  ministry  one  year 
before,  when  only  sixteen  years  of  age.  He  had  at- 
tended a  camp-meeting  in  Shelby  county  when  but 
fifteen  years  old — a  wild,  uneducated  boy.  Fond 
of  music,  he  had  purchased  a  fiddle,  and  carried  it 
with  him  to  the  camp-ground,  for  the  purpose  of 
amusement.  Hardly,  however,  had  he  reached  the 
inclosure  before  the  Holy  Spirit  arrested  him,  and 
cries  for  mercy  fell  from  his  penitent  lips.  He  was 
converted;  and  believing  that  he  was  called  of  God 
to  preach  the  gospel,  and  yet  without  the  first  rudi- 
ments of  education,  he  applied  to  a  lady  who  was 
teaching  a  small  country  school  in  his  neighborhood 


106  Western    Cavaliers. 

for  admission  into  her  school,  and  was  kindly  re- 
ceived, although  unable  at  the  time  to  pay  her  a 
farthing.*  At  the  close  of  eight  months,  being  only 
sixteen  years  of  age,  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and 
recommended  to  the  Kentucky  Conference.  The 
Conference  admitted  him,  and  he  was  appointed  by 
the  Bishop  to  the  Breckinridge  Circuit,  as  the  col- 
league of  William  Helm.  He  was  tall  and  slender, 
with  light  hair  and  deep  blue  eyes.  Remarkably 
sprightly  and  earnest  in  the  work  to  which  he  was 
called,  he  at  once  took  rank  among  the  young  men 
of  promise  in  the  Conference. 

In  speaking  of  Mr.  Blades,  Mr.  Landram  says 
"he  was  a  nice  young  man,  with  considerable 
preaching  ability." 

No  two  preachers,  on  any  charge  in  the  Confer- 
ence, labored  more  earnestly  than  did  these.  Their 
circuit  was  soon  in  a  flame,  and  revivals  visited 
every  portion  of  their  work. 

In  the  Jefferson  Circuit,  Charles  M.  Holliday  and 
Hooper  Evans,  both  in  the  prime  of  manhood,  and 
distinguished  for  their  zeal,  were  eminently  useful. 
From  the  time  they  entered  upon  their  labors  until 
the  3d  of  June  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  per- 
sons had  joined  the  Church,  and  nearly  all  of  them 
had  been  converted.  On  the  4th  of  September  Mr. 
Holliday  writes  to  the  Western  Christian  Advocate: 
"At  our  last  quarterly-meeting  a  camp-meeting  was 
held  at  Hughes's  Camp-ground,  commencing  Au- 

*At  his  first  quarterly-meeting,  on  the  Breckinridge  Cir- 
cuit, he  sent  her  eight  dollars — which  was  all  he  received  at 
the  time — the  amount  he  owed  for  eight  months'  schooling. 


Western   Cavaliers.  107 

gust  8th,  and  closing  the  12th.  Twenty-one  were 
converted,  and  twenty -four  joined  the  Church. 
Thirty-two  joined  at  Cane  Run,  in  September.  Two 
hundred  and  thirty-three  joined  during  the  year." 

In  the  Breckinridge  Circuit,  whose  preachers 
were  Stephen  Harber  and  William  Gr.  Bowman — the 
former  remarkable  for  the  neatness  of  his  apparel, 
and  the  latter  for  the  earnestness  with  which  he  de- 
livered his  message — there  were  extensive  revivals 
of  religion.  The  Yellow  Banks  Circuit  included 
not  only  the  beautiful  town  of  Owensboro,  but  all  of 
Davis  and  Hancock  counties,  and  portions  of  Ohio 
and  Muhlenberg.  To  this  immense  field  Thomas 
W.  Chandler  was  appointed.  When  he  first  entered 
the  ministry  it  was  said  of  him  by  an  intelligent 
gentleman  of  another  Communion,  who  heard  him 
preach,  "  Dress  a  fence-rail  in  the  clothes  of  a  Meth- 
odist preacher,  and  he  can  surpass  any  of  our  college 
graduates."  During  the  year  there  was  great  pros- 
perity, and  at  the  camp-meeting  at  Pleasant  Grove, 
which  commenced  July  18,  "many  found  peace." 

Thomas  B.  Farmer,  a  plain  gospel-preacher,  and 
Lewell  Campbell,  a  son  of  thunder,  traveled  the 
Newcastle  Circuit,  and  reported  large  accessions  to 
the  Church. 

Turning  to  the  Hopkinsville  District,  a  consid- 
erable decrease  in  the  membership  appears  in  the 
Minutes.  In  the  Logan  Circuit,  however,  under 
the  ministry  of  Thomas  Wallace  and  William  S. 
Evans,  both  of  whom  were  faithful  ministers  of 
Christ,  there  were  times  of  refreshing  from  the 
presence  of  the  Lord.      Mr.   Wallace  writes,  May 


108  W  E  S  T  E  R  N     C  A  V  A  L  [  E  II  S  . 

28,  to  the  Western  Christian  Advocate:  "More  than 
one  hundred  have  been  added  to  the  Church  since 
Conference."  There  was  also  considerable  pros- 
perity in  the  Livingston  Circuit,  whose  preachers 
were  Abram  Lous; — who  for  several  years  had  been 
an  itinerant — and  Joseph  D.  Barnett,  a  young  cava- 
lier, fall  of  daring  as  well  as  energy  and  zeal. 

In  every  other  charge  in  this  District  there  was  a 
falling  off  in  the  membership,  the  largest  decrease 
being  in  the  Henderson  Circuit,  amounting  to  one 
hundred  white  and  five  colored. 

The  Green sburg  District  presented  a  less  favora- 
ble report.  The  decrease  in  this  District  was  two 
hundred  in  the  white  membership,  and  forty-six  in 
the  colored.  In  every  charge,  with  the  exception  of 
the  Glasgow  Circuit,  the  membership  was  smaller 
than  at  the  previous  Conference.  Jesse  Sutton,  a 
preacher  of  more  than  ordinary  ability — with  Eli  B. 
Crain,  a  promising  young  man,  for  his  colleague — 
traveled  this  circuit.  On  the  3d  of  July  Mr.  Crain 
wrote:  "Our  Church  is  now  in  a  flourishing  state. 
Many  have  been  added  to  the  Church."*  Under 
the  ministry  of  G.  M.  Campbell  there  was  a  gracious 
revival  of  religion  in  Glasgow,  resulting  in  the  con- 
version of  many  souls  to  God. 

It  frequently  occurs  that  revivals  of  religion  ex- 
cite opposition  to  the  Church  of  Christ  on  the  part 
of  those  who  are  unfavorable  to  any  demonstration 
on  tli is  subject.  It  was  so  in  Glasgow.  The  Camp- 
bell ite  Church,  under  the  leadership  of  Joseph 
Davis,  made  an  attack  on  Methodism,  which  re- 
*  Western  Christian  Advocate,  July  18,  1834. 


Western   Cavaliers.  109 

suited  in  a  controversy  between  Mr.  Davis  and  Mil- 
ton Jamieson,  of  the  Kentucky  Conference.  Mr. 
Jamieson  was  an  able  and  experienced  debater,  and 
familiar  with  the  points  at  issue.  His  triumph  was 
complete,  leaving  his  opponents  to  regret  the  folly 
and  madness  of  the  attack  they  had  made. 

It  is  gratifying,  however,  while  we  lament  any 
falling  off  in  the  membership  of  a  single  District, 
to  be  able  to  record  an  increase  in  the  entire  Con- 
ference of  six  hundred  and  sixty  white  members, 
although  there  was  a  decrease  in  the  colored  of  one 
hundred  and  seventeen. 

Turning  to  the  Wadesboro  and  Hickman  Circuits, 
in  the  Tennessee  Conference,  we  still  find  George 
W.  D.  Harris  the  Presiding  Elder,  while  George  W. 
Martin  and  George  W.  Casey  are  the  preachers  on 
the  Wadesboro  Circuit,  and  Wilie  B.  Edwards  and 
Thos.  L.  Boswell  on  the  Hickman.  In  both  of 
these  fields  of  labor  there  were  extensive  revivals 
of  religion,  although  in  the  Hickman  Circuit  the 
General  Minutes  show  a  decrease  in  both  the  white 
and  colored  membership — in  the  former  seventy-nine, 
and  in  the  latter  twenty-nine.  In  the  Wadesboro 
Circuit  the  increase  was  one  hundred  and  forty -three 
in  the  white  membership,  and  two  in  the  colored — 
making  the  total  increase  in  Kentucky  seven  hun- 
dred and,  thirty-two  in  the  white  membership,  and  a 
decrease  in  the  colored  of  one  hundred  and  forty  - 
four. 

Two  preachers  had  fallen  during  the  year;  but 
they  fell  at  their  posts.  Thomas  P.  Vance  and 
William  P.  McKnight  had  entered  the  itinerant  field 


110  Western    Cavaliers. 

together,  in  1829,  and  closed  their  careers  within 
the  same  Conference-year — the  former  having  died 
on  the  6th  of  October,  1833,  and  the  latter  on  the 
30th  day  of  the  following  Jnne.  Both  passed  away 
in  triumph.* 

*  For  fuller  sketches  of  Thomas  P.  Vance  and  William  P. 
McKnight  see  the  "  History  of  Methodism  in  Kentucky,"  vol. 
iii.,  pp.  454,  458. 


Western   Cavaliers.  Ill 


CHAPTER  III. 

FROM  THE  SESSION  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CONFERENCE  OF 
1834  TO  THE  CONFERENCE  OF  1835. 

Although  the  vine  its  fruit  deny, 

Although  the  olive  yield  no  oil, 
The  with' ring  fig-tree  droop  and  die, 

The  field  illude  the  tiller's  toil, 
The  empty  stall  no  herd  afford, 

And  perish  all  the  bleating  race — 
Yet  will  I  triumph  in  the  Lord, 

The  God  of  my  salvation  praise. 

THE  session  of  the  Kentucky  Conference  for 
1834  was  held  in  Mount  Sterling,  commencing 
on  the  10th  day  of  September.  Bishop  Soule  pre- 
sided, and  William  Adams  was  chosen  Secretary. 

" Joshua  Soule*  was  born  in  Bristol,  Maine — then 
a  province  belonging  to  Massachusetts — August  1, 
1781.  He  was  the  fifth  son  of  Joshua  and  Mary 
Soule.  His  father  was  the  eldest  son  of  Joseph 
Soule,  a  descendant  of  George  Soule,  one  of  the 
Pilgrim  Fathers  who  came  to  New  England  in  the 
"Mayflower."  His  father  was  captain  of  a  mer- 
chant-vessel   and  a  whaler,  and  would  have  con- 

*  Bishop  McTyeire,  in  Nashville  Christian  Advocate,  March 
14,  1867. 


112  Western   Cavaliers. 

tinned  in  a  sea-faring  life  but  for  the  loss  of  his 
vessels  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  After  this 
he  devoted  himself  to  the  pursuit  of  agriculture. 
At  the  time  of  the  birth  of  their  son  Joshua,  they 
belonged  to  a  Scotch  Presbyterian  congregation, 
under  the  pastorate  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  McLain.  After 
their  removal  to  the  country  their  house  was  a  home 
for  all  ministers,  who  preached  in  it,  but  organized 
no  Church. 

"  The  first  Methodist  preacher  who  came  into  their 
neighborhood  was  Jesse  Lee.  This  apostle  of  lew 
England  Methodism  was  the  first  Methodist  minis- 
ter Joshua  ever  heard.  This  was  about  1793.  He 
joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  spring 
of  1797 — two  preachers  having  been  sent  on  a  cir- 
cuit which  embraced  his  home.  His  parents  and 
friends  were  violently  opposed  to  his  becoming  a 
Methodist,  and  he  joined  the  Church  under  full  ex- 
pectation of  being  banished  from  his  father's  house. 
Before  taking  this  step  he  conferred  with  his  parents 
in  reference  to  it.  He  challenged  them  to  adduce  an 
instance  in  which  he  had  ever  disobeyed  them.  He 
assured  them  that  it  would  afford  him  the  greatest 
pleasure  in  life  to  join  the  Methodist  Church  with 
their  consent;  but  join  it  he  must.  His  mother  was 
almost  distracted.  His  father,  however,  never  pro- 
hibited him  from  going  to  meeting.  On  one  occa- 
sion he  asked  his  father  to  accompany  him  to  hear 
one  of  his  ministers — the  Rev.  Mr.  Stebbins.  He 
said,  'No;  they  are  all  alike.'  Joshua  expressed 
the  hope  that  his  father's  law  judged  no  man  before 
he  was  heard.     After  dinner  his  father  ordered  two 


Western    Cavaliers.  113 

horses,  and  accompanied  his  son  to  the  meeting. 
Mr.  Stebbins  preached  a  powerful  sermon.  After 
the  service  Joshua  introduced  his  father  to  Mr.  Steb- 
hins, who,  on  invitation,  went  home  with  Captain 
Soule.  Joshua  told  Mr.  Stebhins  about  his  father, 
and  advertised  him  that  he  might  expect  contro- 
versy. Accordingly,  after  supper  they  entered  the 
lists — not  without  some  apprehension  on  the  part  of 
Joshua,  as  his  father  was  strong  on  the  dogmas  in 
question.  But  Mr.  Stebbins  got  the  better  in  the 
argument,  and  Captain  Soule  felt  it.  After  break- 
fast the  next  morning  he  invited  Mr.  Stebbins  to 
preach  in  his  house.  This  he  did  the  next  round,  to 
a  large  congregation — two  or  three  Baptist  ministers 
being  present.  The  sermon  was  a  powerful  one — 
on  the  vision  of  the  dry  bones,  in  Ezekiel.  From 
that  time  Captain  Soule's  house  was  a  regular 
preaching-place.  In  less  than  six  months  after 
Joshua  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  his 
father,  mother,  two  brothers,  and  two  sisters  joined 
it,  also.  Some  years  after,  his  parents  died  in  the 
communion  of  the  Church,  and  in  holy  triumph. 

"Joshua  Soule  was  never  an  exhorter  or  a  local 
preacher.  He  received  license  to  preach,  and  recom- 
mendation to  the  itinerancy,  from  a  Quarterly  Con- 
ference, in  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1798;  he  trav- 
eled under  the  Presiding  Elder  until  the  session  of 
the  Annual  Conference  in  June,  1799.  He  was  ad- 
mitted on  trial  by  the  NewT  England  Conference  at 
that  session,  and  was  appointed  to  Portland  Circuit, 
in  Maine — Timothy  Merritt  being  the  preacher  in 
charge,  and  Joshua  Taylor  the  Presiding  Elder.     It 


114  Western   Cavaliers. 

was  a  four  weeks'  circuit,  five  hundred  miles  in  cir- 
cumference, and  comprising  twenty-seven  appoint- 
ments. 

"In  1800  he  was  sent  to  Union  River,  the  lowest 
circuit  in  Maine,  embracing  the  Penobscot,  and  ex- 
tending to  the  British  lines.  That  year  he  had  no 
colleague. 

"In  1801  he  was  sent  to  the  Sandwich  Circuit, 
near  Cape  Cod,  without  a  colleague. 

"In  1802  he  was  sent  to  Needham  Circuit,  with 
Thomas  Percy  as  an  assistant. 

"At  the  close  of  his  second  year  he  started  to 
Conference,  at  Boston,  by  sea,  but  did  not  reach 
there  until  after  the  close  of  the  session;  he  was, 
however,  admitted  into  full  connection,  and  elected 
deacon.  At  the  close  of  his  third  year  he  was  or- 
dained deacon,  at  Cranston,  Rhode  Island,  by  Bishop 
Whatcoat;  and  at  the  close  of  his  fourth  year  he 
was  ordained  elder  by  the  same  Bishop. 

"In  1803  he  received  his  fifth  appointment,  which 
was  to  Nantucket,  without  a  colleague.  This  year 
he  was  married  to  Miss  Sarah  Allen,  an  orphan,  in 
Providence,  Rhode  Island.  With  her  he  lived  in 
connubial  felicity  for  fifty-four  years.  We  shall 
never  forget  his  look  of  sorrow  and  hope  when,  in 
May,  1857,  we  consigned  her  remains  to  the  tomb. 

"In  1805  and  1806  he  was  Presiding  Elder  of  a 
District  which  embraced  the  entire  territory  of 
Maine,  twelve  hundred  miles  in  circumference,  com- 
prising twelve  circuits  and  one  station.  He  visited 
the  remotest  settlements,  and  lodged  in  wretched 
cabins,  frequently  covered  with  snow,  which  beat  in 


Western    Cavaliers.  115 

upon  him.  Sometimes,  indeed,  he  had  to  sleep  out 
in  the  frost,  having  the  snow  for  his  "bed  and  the 
sky  for  his  eovering.  He  swam  streams  and  en- 
countered many  other  hardships.  During  the  two 
years  that  he  was  on  that  District,  and  counting 
every  day  that  he  spent  at  home,  he  was  only  three 
weeks  with  his  young  wife.  This,  he  assured  us,  he 
never  could  have  done  if  she  had  not  been  an  extra- 
ordinary woman,  and  encouraged  him  in  his  arduous 
and  self-denying  work. 

"In  1806  and  1807,  the  District  being  divided,  he 
traveled  the  lower  part,  known  as  the  Kennebeck 
District.  Bishop  Asbury  said,  when  he  made  the 
appointment,  that  he  gave  Joshua  Soule  the  eastern 
section,  which  was  much  harder  than  the  other,  as 
he  feared  that  Oliver  Beale,  who  was  appointed  to 
the  upper  portion,  would  break  down  on  the  lower. 
During  these  two  years  he  performed  a  vast  amount 
of  laborious  service.  The  next  four  years  he  was 
Presiding  Elder  on  the  lower,  or  Portland,  District. 

"In  1808  he  attended  the  General  Conference,  in 
Baltimore.  At  that  session  the  plan  of  a  delegated 
General  Conference  was  adopted,  and  the  grave  re- 
sponsibility was  devolved  upon  him  to  draw  up  the 
Constitution  as  it  now  appears  in  the  Book  of  Dis- 
cipline. 

"In  1812  he  was  stationed  in  Lynn.  That  year 
he  attended  the  session  of  the  General  Conference 
held  in  New  York.  The  next  three  years  he  trav- 
eled the  Kennebeck  District. 

"He  was  a  member  of  the  General  Conference 
of  1816,  at  which  he  was  elected  Book  Agent  and 


116  Western    Cavaliers. 

editor  of  the  Methodist  Magazine.  For  four  years 
he  performed  the  arduous  and  apparently  incom- 
patible duties  of  these  offices  with  great  fidelity. 
His  position  as  Book  Agent  was  at  first  singularly 
embarrassing.  The  Book  Concern  was  insolvent; 
it  could  not  get  discount  for  five  hundred  dollars. 
The  stock  was  old'  and  comparatively  valueless. 
His  predecessor,  Daniel  Hitt,  was  a  good  and  faith- 
ful man,  but  did  not  possess  the  requisite  business 
qualifications  for  an  undertaking  so  difficult  and  re- 
sponsible. Mr.  Soule  immediately  opened  new 
books;  and  as  a  loan  of  money  was  indispensable, 
he  procured  it  from  the  Mechanics'  Bank,  in  Balti- 
more— his  friends,  Philip  Littig  and  John  Bryce, 
indorsing  for  him.  The  Book  Concern  prospered 
under  his  administration.  He  had  no  difficulty 
afterward  in  getting  all  the  money  he  wanted,  even 
during  the  tremendous  financial  crisis  which  oc- 
curred while  he  was  in  the  agency.  He  made  the 
Magazine  a  useful  and  interesting  miscellany — the 
more  so  as  this  was  before  the  era  of  Christian  Advo- 
cates. But  we  have  frequently  heard  him  decry  his 
own  editorial  capacity,  pleasantly  observing  that 
the  editing  of  the  Magazine  was  a  work  of  darkness, 
as  it  was  performed  chiefly  at  night,  after  the  daily 
duties  of  his  agency  were  closed. 

"In  1820  he  was  succeeded,  as  Agent  and  editor, 
by  Dr.  Bangs,  being  himself  elected  to  the  Episco- 
pate. He,  however,  respectfully  declined  consecra- 
tion, in  view  of  what  is  known  as  the  Presiding 
Elder  question.  He  never  would  consent  to  exe- 
cute the  office  of  Bishop  if  the  Presiding  Elders 


Western    Cavaliers.  117 

were  elected  by  the  Annual  Conference.  lie  always 
considered  that  act  as  one  of  great  importance;  and 
Bishop  Waugh  told  him,  in  after  years,  that  by  his 
firmness  on  that  occasion  he  saved  the  Church. 
That  year  he  was  stationed  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

"In  1821  he  was  stationed  in  New  York,  as 
preacher  in  charge. 

"  In  1822  and  1823  he  was  preacher  in  charge  of 
the  Churches  in  Baltimore  City  Station.  Here  he 
was  greatly  beloved  and  admired.  When,  some 
years  after,  we  followed  him  as  junior  preacher  in 
the  same  station,  we  found  that  his  name  was  as 
ointment  poured  forth. 

"The  session  of  the  Baltimore  Conference  for 
1824  was  held  in  Winchester,  Virginia.  Although 
strong  opposition  was  made  to  him,  because  of  his 
decided  stand  on  the  Presiding  Elder  question,  yet 
he  was  elected  to  the  General  Conference,  and  his 
name  stood  first  in  the  list  of  delegates.  His  oppo- 
nents— Messrs.  Emory,  Waugh,  Griffith,  and  Mor- 
gan— were  all  left  out.  In  after  years  they  all  saw 
their  error,  and  made  honorable  apologies  to  Bishop 
Soule  for  the  course  they  had  pursued.  At  the 
General  Conference,  which  was  held  that  year  in 
Baltimore,  he  was  reelected  to  the  Episcopate,  and 
was  ordained  by  Bishops  McKendree,  George,  and 
Roberts.  From  that  time  until  he  was  forced  by 
the  weight  of  years  and  increasing  infirmities  to  re- 
tire from  active  service,  he  was  abundant  in  labors, 
scorning  ease  and  self-indulgence,  consecrating  all 
his  powers  to  the  difficult  and  responsible  work 
which  had  been  assigned  him  by  the  Church." 


118  Western    Cavaliers. 

Bishop  Soule  was  first  present  at  the  Kentucky 
Conference  which  was  held  in  Shelby ville  in  1824, 
when  Bishops  McKendree  and  Roberts  were  also  in 
attendance.  In  1826,  with  Bishop  Roberts,  he  at- 
tended the  session  of  the  Conference  in  Louisville, 
and  in  1827  at  Versailles,  with  Bishops  McKendree 
and  Roberts.  In  1828,  with  Bishop  Roberts,  he  was 
again  present  in  Shelbyville,  and  in  1830  he  presided 
alone  over  the  Conference  in  Rnssellville.  His  pres- 
ence at  the  session  of  1834  was  peculiarly  gratifying 
to  the  body  over  which  he  presided. 

Among  the  resolutions  adopted  by  the  Conference 
on  the  first  clay  of  the  session,  the  following  de- 
serves a  prominent  place: 

"Resolved,  That  the  members  of  this  Conference 
will  in  future  be  more  diligent  in  the  observance  of 
the  rule  of  Discipline  which  is  as  follows:  'Every 
Presiding  Elder,  minister,  and  preacher  shall  do 
every  thing  in  his  power  to  recover  all  debts  due  the 
Book  Concern.'"* 

It  was  the  policy  of  the  Agents  in  charge  of  the 
Book  Concern,  at  this  early  day,  under  the  instruc- 
tions of  the  General  Conference,  to  place  the  publi- 
cations of  the  Church  on  sale  at  eligible  points,  or, 
what  was  almost  as  disastrous,  to  sell  them  to  the 
preachers  on  time.  Many  of  the  preachers  traveled 
on  circuits  which  failed  to  meet  their  expenses  for 
the  year,  yet  had  promised  to  do  so.  The  preacher, 
believing  that  his  claims  would  be  fully  met  before 
the  close  of  the  year,  and  not  being  required  to  pay 
for  his  books  until  the  Conference,  did  not  deem  it 
*See  Discipline  for  1834,  Part  II.,  sec.  8,  page  156. 


Western   Cavaliers.  119 

improper  to  use  the  money  received  for  books,  ex- 
pecting to  replace  the  amount  from  his  quarterage 
receipts.  The  Church,  however,  was  unmindful  of 
its  obligations,  and  in  too  many  instances  the  faith- 
ful pastor  had  to  leave  his  charge,  to  whom  he  had 
ministered  "in  season  and  out  of  season,"  only  half 
paid,  and  frequently  his  receipts  fell  below  one- 
half.  The  result  was  obvious:  his  account  with  the 
Book  Concern  must  go  unpaid.  In  other  instances 
preachers  largely  in  debt  to  the  Book  Concern  would 
die,  and  the  limited  means  left  by  them  for  the  sup- 
port of  their  families  could  not  well  be  spared  to 
meet  an  obligation  in  this  direction. 

Another  evil  growing  out  of  the  credit  system 
was  that  the  preachers  were  disposed  to  supply  the 
people  with  their  books  on  the  same  terms  which 
had  been  granted  themselves — that  is,  to  be  paid 
for  before  the  close  of  the  year.  Thus,  fifty  or  one 
hundred  dollars'  worth  of  books,  in  small  amounts, 
were  scattered  over  a  large  circuit,  embracing  several 
counties.  Under  the  most  favorable  circumstances, 
to  collect  all  these  debts  would  be  impossible;  be- 
sides, frequently  a  purchaser  might  forget  that  he 
owed  the  preacher,  and  the  preacher  would  be  too 
diffident  to  present  the  account.  We  have  known 
some  preachers  who  have  become  financially  bank- 
rupt by  adopting  this  policy,  while  others,  because 
they  had  been  unable  to  collect  the  money  due  them 
on  their  circuits  and  stations,  declined  selling  books 
in  future. 

If  the  policy  of  the  Book  Concern  had  been  dif- 
ferent— if  the  business  from  the  commencement  had 


120  Western    Cavaliers. 

been  conducted  on  a  cash  basis — all  parties  would 
have  been  better  satisfied. 

On  the  credit  system,  in  Kentucky  a  large  debt 
was  due  the  Book  Concern,  a  considerable  portion 
of  which  was  against  the  preachers  themselves. 
The  success  and  interest  of  an  institution  dear  to 
the  Church  demanded  that  these  obligations  be  met, 
and  be  met  at  once.  Indeed,  many  of  the  preachers 
indebted  to  the  Concern  felt  that  to  impress  upon 
the  people  they  served  the  duty  of  promptitude, 
while  they  seemingly  lacked  this  virtue  themselves, 
would  be  worse  than  useless;  and  hence  they  re- 
solved to  meet  their  responsibilities  in  this  matter, 
at  whatever  cost  on  the  score  of  economy. 

While  some  of  the  preachers  became  involved  by 
the  failure  of  their  people  to  pay  them  for  books, 
there  were  others  in  the  Conference  who  supple- 
mented their  salaries  from  this  department  of  their 
work.  They  felt  it  to  be  their  duty  to  circulate  the 
literature  of  the  Church,  but  deemed  it  proper  that 
those  whom  they  served  should  pay  them  for  the 
books  they  purchased.  We  have  known  preachers 
who  realized  the  larger  portion  of  their  support 
from  the  energy  they  dispkiyed  in  the  sale  and  cir- 
culation of  books;  and  there  is  perhaps  no  preacher 
who  may  not  derive  valuable  aid  from  this  source, 
if  he  gives  it  proper  attention.* 

Apprehensions  were  entertained  by  the  Confer- 
ence at  this  period  that  the  itinerant  system  was 

*  We  know  a  preacher  who  from  the  profits  realized  on  the 
sale  of  books  in  Ids  circuit  supported  a  widowed  mother,  and 
aided  in  the  education  of  two  brothers  and  two  sisters,  and 


Western   Cavaliers.  121 

likely  to  be  impaired  by  the  formation  of  so  many 
stations,  as  distinct  from  circuits.  In  the  Kentucky 
Conference  there  were  at  this  time,  besides  the  six 
Districts,  fifty -three  separate  charges,  twelve  of 
which  were  stations. 

In  order  to  correct  a  tendency  which  they  deemed 
subversive  of  a  system  which  had  operated  so  success- 
fully in  "spreading  scriptural  holiness"  throughout 
the  country,  the  following  resolution  was  submitted 
on  the  first  afternoon  of  the  session : 

"Resolved,  by  the  Kentucky  Annual  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  That  the  Bishop  and 
Presiding  Elders,  in  the  arrangement  of  circuits  and 
stations  within  the  bounds  of  this  Conference,  be 
respectfully  requested  to  connect  with  each  station 
a  sufficient  number  of  appointments  to  constitute 
them  circuits,  or,  where  that  is  impracticable,  to 
connect  them  with  the  adjacent  circuits." 

A  motion  was  made  to  lay  this  resolution  on  the 
table,  which  was,  however,  withdrawn.  The  reso- 
tion  was  then  referred  to  a  committee  of  seven,  to 
be  appointed  by  the  Bishop,  and  George  C.  Light, 
Henry  B.  Bascom,  John  Tevis,  Joseph  S.  Tomlinson, 
Edward  Stevenson,  Milton  Jamieson,  and  Jonathan 
Stamper  were  appointed  the  committee. 

If  we  do  not  concur  in  the  sentiment  that  the 
formation  of  stations  imperiled  the  itinerant  sys- 
tem, to  which  we  were  attached  in  our  youth,  in 
our  early  manhood,  and  to  which  we  are  still  de- 

purcliiiscd  and  owns  handsome  property.     He  has  sold  many 
thousands  of  dollars'  worth,  and  never  lost  but  one  debt,  which 
was  four  doll  irs. 
6 


122  Western    Cavaliers. 

voted,  yet  we  cannot  but  admire  the  vigilance  of  our 
fathers  over  it — a  vigilance  that  would  not  allow  the 
least  encroachment. 

On  Friday  morning  the  committee  submitted  the 
following  report,  which  was  adopted : 

"Resolved,  by  the  Kentucky  Annual  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  That  the  Bishop  and 
Presiding  Elders,  in  the  arrangement  and  supply  of 
the  circuits  and  stations  within  the  bounds  of  this 
Conference,  be  respectfully  requested  to  connect  with 
each  station,  as  early  as  practicable,  a  sufficient  num- 
ber of  appointments  to  constitute  them,  in  fact,  cir- 
cuits, to  be  formed  of  places  not  previously  occupied, 
or  of  such  appointments,  belonging  to  contiguous  cir- 
cuits, as  may  be  agreed  upon  by  the  parties  interested, 
in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  the  Discipline." 

That  there  was  a  disposition  to  disconnect  from 
the  circuits,  in  many  instances,  small  towns,  and 
form  them  into  separate  charges,  will  be  obvious  to 
any  one  who  will  examine  the  history  of  the  Church 
at  this  period.  Very  frequently,  by  such  an  ar- 
rangement, a  good  circuit  was  greatly  weakened, 
and  a  small  station  was  formed  without  sufficient 
strength  to  support  a  married  preacher,  and,  with 
one  destitute  of  experience,  was  unable  to  compete 
with  other  pulpits. 

At  the  Conference  of  1832  the  question  "What 
has  been  contributed  for  missions  ? "  was  asked  for 
the  first  time,  and  it  was  repeated  at  the  two  sessions 
following.  N"o  steps,  however,  had  been  taken  to 
form  the  Conference  into  a  Missionary  Society  until 
the  session  of  1834. 


Western    Cavaliers.  123 

On  the  second  day  of  the  session  the  amount  con- 
tributed during  the  year  for  missions  was  reported, 
and  found  to  he  only  $269.30,  which,  although  an 
improvement  on  the  receipts  of  the  previous  year, 
was  inadequate  to  the  demands,  as  well  as  a  reflec- 
tion upon  the  liberality,  of  the  Church. 

Without  an  organization  and  unity  of  purpose 
and  effort  but  little  improvement  could  be  expected. 
Here  and  there  might  be  found  a  solitary  preacher, 
abreast  with  the  spirit  of  the  times,  who  would  com- 
mend the  missionary  enterprise  to  the  people  he 
served;  but  the  majority  of  them  would  fail  to  pre- 
sent or  advocate  the  cause.  The  preachers  needed 
instruction,  in  most  instances,  no  less  than  the  people 
they  were  commissioned  to  teach. 

Immediately  after  the  report  was  read  it  was  pro- 
posed that  the  Conference  form  itself  into  a  Mis- 
sionary Society,  auxiliary  to  the  Parent  Society  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  located  in  the  city 
of  New  York.  A  constitution  was  adopted  for 
present  purposes,  and  Milton  Jamieson,  Henry  B. 
Bascom,  and  John  Tevis  were  appointed  a  commit- 
tee to  revise  it,  and  report  at  the  ensuing  session. 
The  following  officers  were  elected:  President,  the 
presiding  Bishop;  First  Vice-president,  Jonathan 
Stamper ;  Second  Vice-president,  Henry  B.  Bascom ; 
Treasurer,  Hubbard  H.  Kavanaugh;  Corresponding 
Secretary,  William  Adams;  Recording  Secretary, 
John  Tevis.  Managers:  Joseph  S.  Tomlinson, 
Richard  Tydings,  William  Phillips,  Benjamin  T. 
Crouch,  Isaac  Collard,  John  James,  Henry  Mc- 
Daniel,    George    W.   Brush,    George   W.    Taylor, 


124  Western   Cavaliers. 

Henry  S.  Duke,  Joseph  Marsee.     James  Ward  was 

appointed  one  of  the  Vice-presidents  of  the  Parent 
Society.  An  Agent  was  also  appointed  for  the  Mis- 
sionary Society,  whose  duty  it  should  be  to  travel 
through  the  Conference,  deliver  sermons  on  the  sub- 
ject, form  societies,  take  up  collections,  and  awaken, 
as  far  as  possible,  general  interest  in  behalf  of  the 
enterprise.  This  pleasant  duty  was  intrusted  to 
Milton  Jamieson. 

For  several  sessions  the  subject  of  Colonization 
had  occupied  a  prominent  place  in  the  discussions 
of  the  Conference,  and  Agents  had  been  appointed 
for  the  advancement  of  the  scheme. 

The  Kentucky  Colonization  Society  had  sent  to 
Liberia  Joseph  Jones,  a  man  of  color,  and  of  more 
than  ordinary  intelligence  and  undoubted  piety,  for 
the  purpose  of  ascertaining  all  that  was  requisite  in 
reference  to  the  Colony  in  Africa — the  soil,  climate, 
and  productions.  He  had  returned  from  his  tour 
of  observation,  and  was  present  at  the  session  of 
the  Kentucky  Conference.  The  Kentucky  Confer- 
ence had  no  sympathy  with  Abolitionists.  They 
believed  the  principles  advocated  by  them  to  have 
been  born  in  fanaticism, -and  fraught  with  mischief 
to  society,  and  subversive  of  the  American  Union ; 
and  hence  they  repudiated  alike  the  doctrines  they 
taught  and  those  who  taught  them.  They,  how- 
ever, believed  that  the  shores  of  Africa  offered  an 
asylum  and  a  home  for  the  free  man  of  color,  where 
he  might  build  for  himself  a  government,  and  be 
useful  and  happy;  hence,  at  all  times,  they  favored 
the  measures  by  which  their  colonization  might  be 


Western   Cavaliers.  125 

effected,  and  on  this  occasion  appointed  Richard 
Corwine — a  man  who  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  all 
who  knew  him — as  the  Agent  for  this  Society. 

Twenty-two  preachers  were  admitted  on  trial  at 
this  session:  Ezekiel  Mobley,  Henry  Edmundson, 
Peter  Taylor,  Reuben  W.  Landrum,  Robert  Fisk, 
James  M.  Buchanan,  Daniel  S.  Barksdale,  Robinson 
E.  Sidebottom,  Solomon  Pope,  Alexander  Robinson, 
Clinton  Kelly,  Thomas  Rankin,  James  D.  Holding, 
Henry  N.  Vandyke,  John  C.  Mblack,  George  W. 
Merritt,  George  W.  Simcoe,  William  M.  Grubbs, 
George  Switzer,  Albert  Kelly,  Napoleon  B.  Lewis, 
and  Matthew  N".  Lasley. 

Of  those  who  entered  the  itinerant  field  one  year 
before,  the  names  of  Claiborne  Pirtle  and  Daniel 
Sherwood  disappear  from  the  Minutes.  Unable  to 
perform  the  duties  of  traveling  preachers,  because 
of  feeble  health,  they  retire  from  the  work. 

Daniel  S.  Cap  ell,  Thomas  H.  Gibbons,  George  W. 
Eagg,  Thomas  C.  Cropper,  Joseph  G.  Ward,  and 
John  Sandusky  enter  the  local  ranks,  but  at  a  later 
period  are  found  in  the  Conference  again. 

The  names  of  Richard  Corwine,  Milton  Jamieson, 
and  Edward  Stevenson,  who  had  been  on  the  super- 
annuated list,  appear  in  the  effective  ranks,  while 
Samuel  Harrison  is  found  among  the  supernumera- 
ries. 

Hooper  Evans  is  the  only  preacher  whose  health 
failed  during  the  Conference -year.  He  becomes 
superannuated. 

In  the  Methodist  Church  the  preacher  surrenders 
the  privilege  of  selecting   his  own  field  of  labor, 


126  Western   Cavaliers. 

while  at  the  same  time  the  Church  yields  its  right 
to  call  a  pastor,  each  vesting  the  authority  in  the 
Bishop.  Nothing  can  he  more  interesting  or  excit- 
ing than  the  closing  scene  of  an  Annual  Conference, 
when  the  appointments  are  announced,  fixing  the 
home  of  each  member  for  a  year.  Several  congrega- 
tions may  desire  the  services  of  the  same  preacher, 
and  several  preachers  may  wish  to  be  appointed  to 
the  same  charge.  It  is  inevitable  that  some  of  them 
must  be  disappointed,  and  not  unfrequently  the  ex- 
pectations of  none  of  them  are  realized.  A  preacher 
has  traveled  on  a  District  or  circuit,  or  filled  a  sta- 
tion, for  a  single  year,  and  to  his  mind  there  is  no 
reason  why  he  should  not  be  returned  to  the  same 
field;  or  the  Church  which  has  had  his  services  may 
deem  his  reappointment  important  to  the  advance- 
ment and  success  of  the  cause  of  God.  An  inter- 
change of  opinion,  however,  among  those  in  whom 
is  vested  the  authority  to  make  the  appointments 
may  develop  reasons  why  a  change  should  be  made, 
which  must  surely  be  obvious  to  all. 

The  appointing  of  a  single  preacher,  or  the  sup- 
plying of  a  solitary  pulpit,  would  be  an  easy  task; 
but  the  responsibility,  as  well  as  the  difficulty,  in- 
creases a  hundred  fold  when  a  hundred  men,  em- 
bracing every  variety  of  talent,  are  to  be  provided 
for,  and  a  hundred  Churches  to  be  supplied. 

It  is  not  uncommon  for  a  preacher  to  entertain 
the  opinion  that  he  should  be  appointed  to  a  certain 
place,  or  for  a  Church  to  believe  that  it  is  entitled 
to  a  certain  preacher.  Their  views  would  be  well 
founded  if  no  counter-claims  were  presented.     It  is 


Western    Cavaliers.  127 

not  surprising,  then,  that  both  preachers  and  people 
are  sometimes  disappointed.-'' 

*A  preacher  in  the  Louisville  Conference  was  at  one  time 

appointed  to District.     His  first  quarterly-meeting  in  the 

District  was  to  be  held  in  the  most  prominent  charge  in  his 
work.  On  arriving  at  the  place  a  leading  member  of  the 
Church  called  to  see  him,  and  informed  him  that  his  appoint- 
ment was  both  unexpected  and  unsatisfactory  to  the  people; 
that  they  desired  their  pastor  for  the  previous  year  to  be 
their  Presiding  Elder;  and  that  even  if  he  had  not  been  their 
first  choice,  they  preferred  some  other  preacher  to  himself. 
The  Presiding  Elder  made  no  reply  at  the  time,  but  felt  con- 
siderably embarrassed.  He  preached  on  Saturday,  both  morn- 
ing and  evening.  On  Sunday,  after  preaching  at  eleven  o'clock 
to  a  crowded  audience,  he  availed  himself  of  the  opportunity 
to  refer  to  what  had  been  said  to  him.  He  remarked  that  he 
was  not  surprised  that  the  Church  at  that  place  desired  the 
appointment  of  their  former  pastor  to  the  District;  that  he 
would  be  very  much  astonished  if  any  congregation,  after 
having  been  favored  with  his  ministry,  should  not  desire  to 
retain  him;  nor  was  he  surprised  that  he  was  not  their  second 
choice.  "  But,"  said  he,  "  there  are  two  sides  to  this  question. 
I  was  stationed  last  year  among  a  Christian  and  intelligent 
people,  where  I  seemed  to  be  useful,  to  whom  I  was  greatly  and 
sincerely  attached,  and  by  whom  I  was  beloved.  I  wished  to 
serve  them  another  year,  and  they  unanimously  requested  my 
reappointment;  but  I  was  taken  from  them,  and  your  pastor 
was  sent  to  fill  my  place.  They  are  greatly  dissatisfied,  and 
I  have  just  spent  several  days  with  them,  trying  to  reconcile 
them.  Besides,  if  I  had  expected  to  be  removed,  I  would  not 
have  chosen  your  District.  I  think  I  deserve  a  better  place 
and  a  more  appreciative  people.  But  I  am  your  Presiding 
Elder,  and  you  are  a  portion  of  my  District,  and  I  propose- 
that  we  bury  the  tomahawk  to-day,  and  for  one  year  try  and 
be  a  mutual  blessing  to  each  other."  At  the  fourth  quarterly- 
meeting  in  this  charge  he  announced,  in  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ference, his  purpose  to  decline  a  reappointment  to  the  District, 


128  Western    Cavaliers. 

In  the  appointments  for  this  year  we  find  William 
Adams  on  the  Lexington  District,  in  the  place  of 
William  Gunn,  who  had  traveled  it  the  year  before. 
The  Augusta  District  is  still  supplied  with  Richard 
Ty dings.  On  the  Harrodsbnrg  District,  John  James 
succeeds  William  Adams.  Benjamin  T.  Crouch, 
Isaac  Collard,  and  George  W.  Taylor  are  returned 
to  the  same  Districts  they  traveled  the  previous  year. 
In  the  Lexington  District,  Hubbard  H.  Kavauauffh 
was  returned  to  Lexington.  In  the  Augusta  Dis- 
trict, John  W.  Eiggin  was  reappointed  to  the  Flem- 
ing Circuit.  We  find  Jonathan  Stamper  again  at 
Danville  and  Harrodsburg,  in  the  Harrodsburg  Dis- 
trict. George  W.  Brush,  in  the  Louisville  District, 
was  again  stationed  in  Shelbyville,  and  William 
Holman  in  Louisville.  In  the  Hopkinsville  District, 
Newton  G.  Berryman  was  returned  to  Bowling 
Green,  and  Buford  Henry  to  the  Green  River  Cir- 
cuit; in  the  Greensburg  District,  Jesse  Sutton  to 
Glasgow,  and  John  Denham  to  the  Lebanon  Circuit. 

To  record  the  growth  and  advancement  of  Meth- 
odism in  the  State  of  Kentucky  is  always  a  pleasant 
task.  Identified,  as  we  have  been,  for  the  past 
forty-two  years  with  the  Methodist  Church,  and  for 
thirty-eight  years  with  the  fortunes  of  the  Methodist 
ministry,  we  would  be  untrue  to  every  generous  and 
noble  impulse  if,  in  the  midst  of  duties  in  other 
sections  of  the  Church,  our  thoughts  did  not  revert 
with  feelings  of  pleasure  to  the  home  of  our  child- 

at  wliich  they  demurred,  and  appointed  a  committee  to  attend 
the  Conference  and  protest  against  any  change.  He  remained 
in  this  District  four  years. 


Western    Cavaliers.  129 

hood  and  the  scenes  of  our  first  religious  impres- 
sions and  early  ministry.  To  follow  in  the  path  of 
those  who  preceded  us,  and  to  watch  the  struggling 
cause  to  which  so  many  valiant  lives  were  pledged, 
and  in  which  so  many  were  sacrificed,  and  to  see  it 
as  from  year  to  year  it  became  more  commanding 
and  powerful,  has  ever  been  a  fondly -cherished 
pleasure. 

The  year  which  followed  the  Conference  of  1834, 
although  "times  of  refreshing  from  the  presence  of 
the  Lord"  were  realized  in  several  sections  of  the 
Conference,  was  not  distinguished  by  any  extraor- 
dinary outpourings  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Valuable 
accessions  to  the  Church  cheered  the  hearts  of  the 
disciples  of  Christ  in  some  portions  of  the  work; 
but,  with  these  exceptions,  the  Church  was  quiet  and 
calm. 

In  the  Burlington  Circuit,  in  the  Lexington  Dis- 
trict— to  which  John  Carr  Harrison  and  Henry  E". 
Vandyke  were  appointed — there  was  some  increase 
in  the  membership,  but  in  every  other  charge  in 
that  District  the  membership  decreased.  It  is  true 
that  in  the  city  of  Frankfort,  under  the  ministry  of 
Thomas  W.  Chandler,  there  was  a  revival  of  re- 
ligion, in  which  a  few  persons  were  converted  and 
added  to  the  Church ;  but  even  in  this  station  there 
was  a  falling  off  In  both  the  white  and  colored 
membership.  In  the  Falmouth  Circuit,  also,  one 
hundred  and  fifty-seven  persons  were  added  to  the 
Church;  yet  the  Minutes  report  fifty  white  and 
twenty-five  colored  less  than  the  previous  year.  In 
the  entire  District  there  was  a  decrease  of  four  hun- 
6* 


130  Western   Cavaliers. 

dred  and  ninety-two  in  the  white  membership,  and 
two  hundred  and  eight  in  the  colored. 

If  we  look  over  the  Augusta  District  we  find  but 
little  more  to  cheer  us  than  in  the  Lexington.  In 
the  Hinckstone,  the  Little  Sandy,  and  the  Big  Sandy 
Circuits  the  revivals  were  extensive,  and  many  were 
brought  to  Christ.  In  the  Hinckstone  Circuit, 
through  the  instrumentality  of  the  quaint  Josiah 
Whitaker  and  the  young  and  zealous  Robinson  E. 
Sidebottom,  many  were  converted.  Lorenzo  D. 
Parker— distinguished  for  his  success  in  "  winning 
souls  to  Christ" — and  Peter  Taylor,  plain  and  pure- 
hearted,  were  eminently  useful  on  the  Little  Sandy, 
and  under  their  ministry  two  hundred  persons  be- 
came members  of  the  Church;  while,  on  the  Big 
Sandy  Circuit,  John  Nevius  and  Daniel  S.  Barksdale 
were  equally  successful.  In  the  Germantown  Cir- 
cuit, whose  preachers  were  Absalom  Woolliscroft 
and  George  W.  Simcoe,  one  hundred  and  fifty  per- 
sons joined  the  Church,  and  yet  a  decrease  in  the 
membership  was  reported.  In  this  District  there 
were  three  hundred  and  eighteen  white  members 
less  than  the  year  before,  while  in  the  colored  mem- 
bership there  was  an  increase  of  ninety-four. 

The  Harrodsburg  District  also  reported  a  decrease 
of  one  hundred  and  eighty-seven  in  the  white  mem- 
bership, and  of  one  hundred  and  nine  in  the  colored. 
The  Mount  Sterling  Station  and  Mount  Vernon 
Circuit — the  former  under  the  pastoral  charge  of 
Edward  Stevenson,  a  preacher  of  a  high  order  of 
talent  and  uncompromising  zeal,  and  the  latter 
under  the  leadership  of  Elijah  Sutton  and  Reuben  W. 


Western   Cavaliers.  131 

Landrum,  indefatigable  young  men — were  greatly 
blessed  during  the  year.  Revivals  crowned  the  la- 
bors of  these  faithful  men,  and  an  increase  was  re- 
ported in  both  of  these  charges. 

In  the  Cumberland  Mission — which  embraced  a 
vast  extent  of  territory,  covering  the  head-waters  of 
the  Cumberland  and  Kentucky  Rivers,  amid  the 
mountains  of  South-eastern  Kentucky  —  between 
fifty  and  sixty  persons  had  been  brought  into  the 
CI  lurch.  Richard  Holding,  a  pure  and  simple- 
hearted  preacher  of  the  gospel,  and  Napoleon  B. 
Lewis — a  young  man  of  extraordinary  pulpit  abil- 
ity, and  with  a  zeal  that  knew  no  bounds  save  his 
wasting  strength — had  charge  of  this  work.  Thirty- 
three  preaching-places  had  been  established  in  this 
rugged  field,  at  each  of  which  these  young  evan- 
gelists preached  every  four  weeks.  Their  ministry 
was  greatly  blessed,  although  a  small  decrease  at 
the  close  of  the  year  appears  in  the  Minutes.  In 
the  other  charges  in  the  District  the  decrease  was 
greater. 

It  is  pleasant  to  turn  from  such  barren  scenes  as 
those  through  which  we  have  just  passed  to  the  con- 
templation of  a  more  productive  field — the  Louis- 
ville District.  Although  the  increase  in  this  District 
was  small,  being  only  sixty  in  the  white  and  thirty 
in  the  colored  membership,  yet  it  is  gratifying  to 
know  that  amid  the  religious  dearth  so  prevalent  in 
Kentucky  during  this  year  the  Louisville  District 
maintained  the  ground  previously  occupied.  In  the 
city  of  Louisville  there  was  a  falling  off  in  the 
membership,  and  also   in  the  Newcastle  Circuit — 


132  Western   Cavaliers. 

both  of  these  charges  being  under  the  pastoral  care 
of  men  who  were  distinguished  for  the  success  that 
usually  crowned  their  labors.  The  other  appoint- 
ments in  the  District  not  only  maintained  their 
former  strength,  but  made  some  progress. 

The  Shelby  Circuit,  with  William  Gunn  and 
James  D.  Holding — the  former  the  sweet  singer, 
and  the  latter  the  Aveeping  prophet,  of  the  Confer- 
ence— had  a  small  increase  in  the  white  membership, 
but  reported  a  falling  off  in  the  colored.  Shelby- 
ville — still  under  the  leadership  of  George  W.  Brush 
— continued  to  advance  in  numbers  and  in  influence. 
The  Taylorsville  Circuit,  with  John  Christian  Har- 
rison* as  the  preacher,  enjoyed  prosperity,  while 
Francis  Landrum  and  Robert  Y.  McReynolds  were 
eminently  useful  on  the  Jefferson.  The  Breckin- 
ridge Circuit  was  favored  with  the  ministry  of 
Thomas  P.  Farmer  and  John  Beatty — the  former 
large  and  robust,  the  latter  small  and  lean,  but  both 
devoted  to  their  work,  and  their  ministry  acknowl- 
edged in  a  large  ingathering  into  the  fold  of  Christ. 
The  Yellow  Banks  Circuit,  under  the  ministry  of 
the  modest  Robert  F.  Turner,  was  greatly  blessed; 
while  the'  Hartford  Circuit,  with  Thomas  S.  Davis 
as  the  preacher,  enjoyed  many  gracious  seasons. 

For  two  years  the  Hopkinsville  District  declined 

*  John  C.  Harrison  was  appointed  to  the  Yellow  Banks  Cir- 
cuit, and  Robert  F.  Turner  to  the  Taylorsville.  The  Rev. 
Samuel  Harrison,  the  father  of  John  C.  Harrison,  died  soon 
after  Conference,  which  rendered  it  necessary  that  he  should 
travel  near  the  residence  of  his  mother;  hence  the  change 
between  him  and  Mr.  Turner. 


Western    Cavaliers.  133 

in  membership.  Two  hundred  and  ninety -two 
white  and  thirty-three  eolored  members  less  thai]  at 
the  previous  Conference  are  reported  in  the  Minutes 
for  this  year,  the  Hopkinsville  Station  and  the 
Greenville  Circuit  being  the  only  charges  where  an 
increase  is  reported.  In  the  Greenville  Circuit, 
James  H.  Brooking  and  Henry  Edmundson  accom- 
plished great  good.  Revivals  in  several  Societies 
blessed  their  ministry,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year 
they  reported  a  net  increase  of  eighty-nine  white 
and  three  colored  members.  In  the  Hopkinsville 
Station,  under  the  ministry  of  William  S.  Evans, 
the  popular  and  zealous  pastor,  the  white  member- 
ship was  nearly  doubled.  In  the  remaining  charges 
a  decrease  was  reported,  with  the  exception  of 
Bowling  Green,  where  no  change  appears  in  the 
Minutes. 

In  the  Greensburg  District  we  are  confronted 
with  losses  in  every  charge  except  the  Salt  River 
Circuit — where  the  veteran  Denham  and  the  beard- 
less Blades  traveled  and  preached — and  the  Bards- 
town  Station,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  the  eloquent 
Silas  Lee,  where  one  white  member  less  and  one 
colored  more  than  for  the  previous  year  are  re- 
ported. The  total  loss  in  this  District  was  four 
hundred  and  twenty-seven  white  and  forty-live  col- 
ored members. 

In  Jackson's  Purchase  we  find  an  increase  re- 
ported in  the  Hickman  Circuit,  to  which  Thomas 
Lloyd  and  H.  B.  McCord  had  been  sent;  while  in 
the  Wadesboro  Circuit  a  small  decrease  is  reported. 

The  entire  loss  in  Kentucky  for  this  year  was 


134  Western   Cavaliers. 

sixteen  hundred  and  sixty-six  white  and  two  hundred 
and  fifty -nine  colored  members. 

The  ministry  of  George  W.  D.  Harris  in  Kentucky 
closes  with  the  present  year.  We  regret  to  part 
with  him.  We  first  met  him  in  the  autumn  of  1831, 
in  charge  of  the  Paris  District,  which  included  the 
Wadcsboro  and  Hickman  Circuits.  During  the  four 
years  in  which  he  presided  over  this  District  his 
ministry  in  Kentucky  was  greatly  blessed.  Faithful 
in  every  department  of  his  work,  he  exerted  an  in- 
fluence for  good  which  was  felt  from  the  center  to 
the  circumference  of  the  vast  field  he  occupied.  As 
a  preacher  he  ranked  with  the  first  pulpit  men  in 
the  West,  and  was  instrumental  in  bringing  hun- 
dreds into  the  fold  of  Christ.  His  sermons,  always 
replete  with  instruction,  were  often  attended  with 
remarkable  power,  and  under  his  masterly  argu- 
ments and  earnest  appeals  many  a  sinner  was  led  to 
abandon  a  life  of  vice,  and  to  fly  for  refuge  to  the 
hope  set  before  him  in  the  gospel. 

In  the  summer  of  1832  he  was  present  at  the 
camp-meeting  held  at  Mobley's  Camp-ground,  in 
Graves  county,  Kentucky,  and  preached  on  Sunday, 
at  eleven  o'clock.  The  crowd  was  immense,  eagerly 
catching  the  words  of  life  as  they  fell  from  the  lips 
of  the  preacher.  A  feeling  of  awe  pervaded  the 
assembly  as  he  portrayed  the  life  and  final  doom  of 
the  sinner.  Pausing  in  the  midst  of  the  sermon,  lie 
exclaimed :  "  I  will  give  the  process  by  which  a  Deist 
may  be  converted."  In  the  audience  was  Major 
Collins,  a  refined  and  polished  gentleman,  who  had 
rejected  the   claims   of   Christianity  and   embraced 


Western   Cavaliers.  135 

Deism.  Attracted  by  the  statement  of  Mr.  Harris, 
his  attention  became  riveted  on  the  speaker.  He 
watched  him  as  he  progressed  in  the  argument  until 
he  saw  himself  a  sinner  before  God,  standing  on  the 
threshold  of  ruin,  a  yawning  gulf,  without  bank  or 
bottom,  beneath  him,  and  above  a  frowning  Judge. 
Despair,  with  raven  wings,  hovered  over  him,  and, 
rising  from  his  seat,  he  pressed  his  way  to  the  altar, 
crying  aloud,  "  Lost,  lost,  lost  ! "  No,  not  lost.  Just 
then  a  ray  of  golden  light  pierced  the  gloom,  bring- 
ing hope  to  the  despairing  soul.  The  bow  of  mercy 
spanned  the  heavens,  and  threw  its  mellow  radiance 
over  a  sorrowing  heart.  God  was  gracious,  and  in  a 
few  moments  peace  and  joy  filled  the  soul  of  the 
repentant  sinner.  The  Major  joined  the  Church 
that  day,  and  was  baptized  by  Mr.  Harris.* 

It  would  be  a  pleasant  task  to  follow  this  faithful 
man  through  the  long  period  of  his  ministry,  and  to 
record  the  success  that  crowned  his  labors  for  nearly 
half  a  century;  but  another  will  perform  this  duty. 
He  died  in  Dyersburg,  Tennessee,  December  9, 1872.f 

-•At  the  session  of  the  Memphis  Conference  in  1867,  Dr. 
Harris  related  the  above  incident  to  the  author.  Major  Collins 
was  then  living,  a  pious  member  of  the  Church. 

f  Bishop  McTyeire,  in  the  Nashville  Christian  Advocate,  of 
December  28,  1872,  says: 

"  G.  W.  D.  Harris  was  no  common  man.  Of  strong  will,  clear 
perceptions,  and  deep  convictions,  of  high  and  consecrated 
purpose,  consistent  and  blameless  in  life,  and  capable  of  zeal 
in  a  good  cause,  he  combined  all  the  qualities  that  make  a 
leader  among  men;  and  such  he  was.  The  natural  sternness 
of  his  elements  was  relieved  by  the  tenderness  of  love  and  a 
vein  of  chastened  humor.     Even  down  to  old  age  he  was  a 


136  Western   Cavaliers. 

most  agreeable  companion  to  persons  of  every  class — full  of 
striking  sentiment,  incisive  remark,  and  of  pertinent,  in- 
structive anecdote  and  interesting  reminiscences.  It  is  sig- 
nificant of  his  character  that  he  was  titled  and  habitually- 
spoken  of  by  his  younger  brethren  not  as  '  Doctor  Harris,'  but 
as  'Uncle  George.'  The  doctrines  and  morals  of  Christianity 
were  firmly  grasped  and  perspicuously  enunciated  by  him. 
Often  a  great  unction  rested  upon  his  preaching  and  his 
prayers.  Our  ecclesiastical  polity  he  understood  and  loved, 
and  was  a  model  Presiding  Elder,  which  high  office  he  adorned 
and  magnified  for  more  than  half  of  his  ministerial  years.  He 
might  have  been,  by  the  strength  of  his  mind,  the  force  of  his 
character,  the  power  of  his  speech,  and  the  opportunities  of 
his  times — yes,  he  might  have  been  rich  and  great  in  the 
world's  esteem.  But  what  were  these  to  him?  He  kept  to 
the  lot  God  assigned  him:  he  fulfilled  his  life-work  as  a  Meth- 
odist preacher,  without  turning  aside  to  the  right  hand  or  the 
left.  How  many  preachers  has  he  recruited  into  the  Master's 
service?  how  many  members  has  he  added  to  the  Church? 
how  many  souls  have  been  quickened  and  converted  under 
his  ministry  ?  The  annals  of  time  may  not  yet  answer  these 
questions.  A  pioneer  in  these  broad  fields,  he  endured  the 
burden  and  heat  of  the  day.  We  have  entered  into  his  labors, 
and  he  into  his  rest. 

"When  the  Memphis  Conference  was  constituted,  in  No- 
vember, 1840,  G.  W.  D.  Harris  naturally  found  his  place  at  the 
head  of  it,  and  his  brethren  have  had  the  wisdom  and  the 
grace  to  keep  him  there.  Unavoidably  and  fortunately  he 
has  impressed  himself  upon  that  large  and  valuable  body  of 
ministers  and  members.  His  decision,  his  practical  wisdom, 
his  love  of  the  Church's  welfare,  and  jealousy  for  its  honor, 
commanded  for  his  opinions  marked  deference.  '  Unto  him 
men  gave  ear,  and  waited,  and  kept  silence  at  his  counsel.' 
Grand  old  man!  When  shall  we  see  his  like  again?  We 
thank  God  for  having  given  him  to  the  Church,  and  permitted 
him  to  continue  with  us  so  long.  Many,  very  many,  of  his  sons 
in  the  gospel  and  spiritual  children  have  gone  before  him  to 
paradise;  others,  faint,  yet  pursuing,  are  following  on. 


Western   Cavaliers.  137 

The  itinerant  ranks  were  thinned  this  year  by 
the  death  of  several  preachers.  Benjamin  Ogden, 
Francis  Landrum,  Samuel  Harrison,  William  Adams, 
Minor  M.  Cosby,  and  William  Ontten  passed  from 
labor  to  reward. 

The  names  of  Ogden,  Landrum,  Harrison,  and 
Adams  had  for  many  years  been  familiar  not  only  to 
the  Methodists  in  Kentucky,  but  to  other  Christian 
denominations.  Shoulder  to  shoulder  they  had 
toiled  and  labored,  sacrificed  and  suffered,  and  to- 
gether had  passed  away  and  entered  upon  eternal 
life* 

Of  the  time  and  place  of  the  birth  of  Minor  M.. 
Cosby  we  have  no  record.  He  was  about  twenty- 
one  years  of  age  when  he  embraced  religion,  and 
two  years  later  was  admitted  on  trial  into  the  Ken- 
tucky Conference.  His  first  appointment  was  to 
the  Greenville  Circuit,  as  the  colleague  of  Thomas 
G-.  Reece.     In  1832  he  traveled  the  Danville  Circuit 

"After  he  grew  to  manhood  he  knew  no  second  childhood. 
The  outward  senses  were  dulled  and  decayed  toward  the  last, 
but  his  mental  faculties  were  firm  and  his  faith  clear.  The 
long  shadows  of  life's  closing  day  fell  upon  him  still  at  work. 
He  attends  his  forty-eighth  Annual  Conference,  and  answers 
to  his  name  at  roll-call;  his  farewell  sermon  is  preached,  his 
'character  passes,'  and  he  goes  home  to  die.  This,  indeed,  is 
the  itinerant's  much-coveted  euthanasia.  As  the  aged  servant 
utters  Nunc  dimittis,  and  retires  from  the  field,  we  join  all  his 
brethren  in  saying,  '  Servant  of  God,  well  done ! '  You  leave 
the  world  better  for  having  lived  in  it." 

*  For  sketches  of  Benjamin  Ogden,  Francis  Landrum,  Samuel 
Harrison,  and  William  Adams,  see  "History  of  Methodism  in 
Kentucky." 


138  Western   Cavaliers. 

with  Milton  Jamieson,  and  in  1833,  as  the  colleague 
of  John  James,  he  performs  the  duties  of  an  itiner- 
ant on  the  Winchester  Circuit.  At  the  Conference 
of  1834  he  was  appointed  to  the  Henderson  Circuit, 
where  he  closed  his  labors  with  his  life. 

Xo  young  man  in  the  Conference  promised  greater 
usefulness  to  the  Church  than  did  Minor  M.  Cosby. 
Although  his  talents  were  not  of  the  highest  order, 
yet  his  pulpit  abilities  were  far  above  mediocrity, 
while  his  deportment  out  of  the  pulpit  exerted  no 
ordinary  influence  for  good.  During  the  four  years 
of  his  itinerant  service  he  was  eminently  useful  and 
greatly  beloved  in  the  several  fields  in  which  he  la- 
bored. He  died  of  congestive  fever,  on  the  5th  of 
September,  1835,  five  days  preceding  the  opening 
of  the  Conference.  His  last  sufferings  were  severe, 
but  were  borne  with  firmness  and  resignation.  In 
his  dying  moments  he  bore  testimony  to  the  saving 
power  of  the  religion  he  had  preached  so  success- 
fully. 

William  Outten  was  a  native  of  Fayette  county, 
Kentucky,  and  was  brought  up  in  the  city  of  Lex- 
ington, where  he  joined  the  Church  when  quite 
young,  and  was  converted  to  God.  From  the  time 
he  became  a  member  of  the  Church  his  piety  was 
uniform  and  consistent.  Active  in  all  the  enter- 
prises of  the  Church,  he  devoted  himself  to  its  in- 
terests with  laudable  zeal.  Feeling  that  God  had 
called  him  to  preach  the  gospel,  he  applied  himself 
to  study  with  true  diligence,  and  gave  promise  of 
great  usefulness  in  the  Church.  At  the  Conference 
of  1833  he  offered  himself  for  the  itinerant  work. 


Western    Cavaliers.  139 

and  was  accepted,  and  appointed  to  the  Burks ville 
Circuit.  At  the  Conference  of  1834  he  was  con- 
tinued on  trial,  and  appointed  to  the  Green  River 
Circuit,  with  Bluford  Henry.  He,  however,  had 
scarcely  entered  upon  his  work  when  a  malignant 
fever  fastened  upon  his  system,  and  bore  him  to  the 
grave.  During  his  illness  he  suffered  acutely,  but 
not  a  murmur  fell  from  his  lips.  He  died  in  great 
triumph,  December  24, 1834,  at  twelve  o'clock  m.,  at 
the  house  of  Mr.  Porter,  a  member  of  the  Church. 


140  Western   Cavaliers. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

FKOM  THE  SESSION  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CONFERENCE  OF 
1835  TO  THE  CONFERENCE  OF  1836. 

Sow  in  the  morn  thy  seed, 

At  eve  hold  not  thy  hand ; 
To  doubt  and  fear  give  thou  no  heed — 

Broad-cast  it  o'er  the  land. 
Beside  all  waters  sow, 

The  highway  furrows  stock, 
Drop  it  where  thorns  and  thistles  grow, 

Scatter  it  on  the  rock. 

THE  Kentucky  Conference  for  1835  met  in  Shel- 
byville,  on  the  16th  of  September.  Here,  for 
the  first  time,  we  saw  Bishop  Andrew.  It  was  his 
first  visit  to  Kentucky. 

James  Osgood  Andrew  was  born  in  Wilkes  county, 
Georgia,  May  3,  1794.  His  father,  the  Kev.  John 
Andrew,  was  for  three  years  a  traveling  preacher, 
but  in  1792 — two  years  previous  to  the  birth  of  his 
son — retired  to  the  local  ranks,  in  which  sphere  he 
was  distinguished  for  his  zeal  and  usefulness. 

!Kot  only  favored  with  a  Christian  father,  but  also 
with  a  mother  remarkable  for  her  superior  intellect 
and  fervent  piety,  young  Andrew  grew  up  in  the 
bosom  of  the  Church,  developing  traits  of  character 


Western   Cavaliers.  141 

which  would  render  him  useful  in  the  time  to  come. 
When  only  a  child  he  was  often  taken  by  his  mother 
to  her  place  of  private  prayer,  where,  with  her  soft 
hand  upon  his  head,  she  would  commend  him  to 
G-od,  and  pray  that  he  might  become  a  Methodist 
preacher.  When  only  thirteen  years  of  age  he  was 
admitted  to  the  communion  of  the  Church,  and  at 
eighteen  was  licensed  to  preach. 

Denied  the  advantages  of  a  classical  education, 
he  was  led  by  his  fondness  for  study  to  his  father's 
library,  where  he  improved  his  time  in  reading  the 
books  thus  placed  in  his  way. 

A  congregation  of  colored  people  was  the  first  to 
hear  him  proclaim  the  words  of  eternal  truth;  and 
to  the  negroes  of  Georgia  his  ministry  was  signally 
blessed  through  the  long  years  of  his  life.  His  first 
appearance  in  the  pulpit,  in  the  presence  of  his 
neighbors  and  friends,  elicited  from  a  prominent 
member  of  the  Church  the  remark,  "Well,  Jeemes, 
I  voted  the  other  day  for  you  to  be  a  preacher;  but 
if  I  had  heard  that  sermon  first,  I  never  would  have 
done  it."  His  recommendation  to  the  Annual  Con- 
ference was  presented  by  his  Presiding  Elder — Dr. 
Lovick  Pierce — at  the  session  of  the  South  Carolina 
Conference  which  met  in  Charleston,  December  12, 
1812,  at  which  time  he  became  an  itinerant  preacher. 

The  first  field  of  ministerial  labor  to  which  Mr. 
Andrew  was  assigned  was  the  Saltketcher  Circuit,  as 
the  junior  preacher.  The  second  year  of  his  minis- 
try was  spent  in  charge  of  the  Bladen  Circuit.  At 
the  Conference  of  1814  he  was  sent  to  the  Warren 
Circuit,  and  the  following  year  he  was  stationed  in 


142  Western   Cavaliers. 

Charleston.  We  next  find  him  lifting  the  standard 
of  the  cross  in  Wilmington,  Forth  Carolina,  where 
he  remained  for  two  years.  From  Wilmington  we 
follow  him  to  Augusta,  Georgia,  and  thence  to  Sa- 
vannah, serving  two  years  in  each  city. 

No  man  in  so  short  a  period  had  risen  more  rap- 
idly to  eminence  in  the  Church  than  this  faithful 
minister  of  Jesus  Christ.  The  plainness  and  sim- 
plicity with  which  he  delivered  his  message,  the  zeal 
which  distinguished  his  pulpit  efforts,  the  power 
that  attended  his  sermons,  his  success  in  winning 
souls  to  Christ,  together  with  his  abundant  labors 
and  his  uncompromising  devotion  to  the  work  to 
which  he  had  been  divinely  called,  betokened  the 
high  position  he  was  destined  to  occupy  in  the 
Church  of  Christ. 

In  1824  he  became  the  leader  on  the  Edisto  Dis- 
trict, and  in  1825  and  1826  on  the  Charleston.  He 
returned  to  the  city  of  Charleston  in  1827,  where, 
twelve  years  before,  when  a  young  man,  he  had  pro- 
claimed the  tidings  of  salvation.  For  two  years  he 
remained  in  Charleston,  whence  he  was  appointed 
to  Athens  and  Greensboro,  in  the  State  of  Georgia, 
and  in  1830  to  Greensboro  and  Madison.  In  1831 
he  was  again  stationed  in  Augusta — the  Georgia 
Conference  having  been  organized  that  year — and 
in  January  of  the  following  year  was  returned  to 
the  same  city. 

At  this  period  no  minister  in  the  State  of  Georgia 
occupied  so  prominent  a  place  in  the  public  thought 
as  James  O.  Andrew.  Pure  as  the  crystal  drops  as 
they  fall  from  the  clouds,  with  an   intellect  broad 


Western    Cavaliers.  143 

and  massive,  with  a  zeal  commensurate  with  the 
wants  and  woes  of  mankind,  and  with  a  heart 
warmed  by  the  fires  of  eternal  love,  lie  delivered,  in 
burning  words,  the  mighty  truths  of  the  gospel  to 
saint  and  to  sinner.  From  the  time  he  became  an 
itinerant  until  his  elevation  to  the  Episcopacy,  in 
1832,  he  had  labored  with  fidelity  and  success,  win- 
ning hundreds  of  souls  to  Christ. 

He  entered  upon  the  duties  of  a  Bishop  in  the 
full  vigor  of  manhood,  bringing  to  the  office  not 
only  commanding  talents,  but  the  fervor  and  zeal 
which  had  distinguished  his  ministry  in  the  Caroli- 
nas  and  in  Georgia. 

He  reached  Shelbyville  several  days  previous  to 
the  opening  of  the  session.  On  Sabbath,  at  eleven 
o'clock  a.m.,  he  preached  in  the  Methodist  Church. 
His  fame  had  preceded  him,  and  an  immense  au- 
dience, for  a  full  hour,  hung  in  breathless  silence  on 
his  lips.  His  text,  like  the  sermon,  was  a  plain  one : 
"  'Now  when  John  had  heard  in  the  prison  the  works 
of  Christ,  he  sent  two  of  his  disciples,  and  said  unto 
him,  Art  thou  he  that  should  come,  or  do  we  look 
for  another  ?  Jesus  answered  and  said  unto  them, 
Go  and  shew  John  again  those  things  which  ye  do 
hear  and  see:  the  blind  receive  their  sight,  and  the 
lame  walk,  the  lepers  are  cleansed,  and  the  deaf 
hear,  the  dead  arc  raised  up,  and  the  poor  have  the 
gospel  preached  to  them.  And  blessed  is  he  who- 
soever shall  not  be  offended  in  me."  * 

The  sermon  was  one  of  great  simplicity  and  power. 
John  the  Baptist  was  confined  in  a  lonely  prison, 
*  Matt,  xi.  2-6. 


144  Western   Cavaliers. 

from  which  lie  would  soon  be  led  to  execution. 
The  precursor  of  the  Messiah,  to  him  it  was  a  mat- 
ter of  surprise  that  His  arm  had  not  interposed  in 
his  behalf,  and  broken  the  fetters  that  bound  him. 
Tempted  to  call  in  question  the  claims  of  Christ  to 
the  Messiahship,  yet  unwilling  to  yield  to  the  siren 
voice  of  the  tempter,  he  sends  two  of  his  disciples  to 
the  Master,  to  ask  him  whether  he  was  the  Messiah 
or  not.  How  simple  the  reply !  In  the  crowd  which 
had  assembled  before  him  every  malady  was  repre- 
sented. There  stood  the  man  blind  from  his  birth, 
who  had  heard  of  the  fame  of  the  Nazarene,  and 
had  come  to  ask  for  sight;  there,  too,  the  lame 
man,  unable  to  support  his  tottering  frame,  was 
pleading  for  relief;  the  leper,  whose  life  was  blighted 
by  the  most  loathsome  of  all  the  maladies  that  ever 
cursed  the  human  family,  in  piteous  tones  was  beg- 
ging for  compassion;  the  deaf  man,  too,  who  in 
childhood  had  never  heard  the  sound  of  the  lullaby 
from  a  mother's  lips,  and  upon  whose  ears  musical 
strains  had  never  fallen,  was  seeking  to  be  cured; 
close  by  where  he  stood  the  place  of  graves  spread 
out  before  the  view  of  the  assembled  multitude; 
while  the  poor  and  the  outcast,  for  whose  souls  no 
man  seemed  to  care,  with  countenances  on  which  de- 
spair had  been  written,  were  catching  here  and  there 
a  word  of  hope.  He  speaks — and  the  scales  fall  from 
the  eyes  of  the  blind,  and  earth,  with  all  its  scenes 
of  grandeur  and  beauty,  and  sky,  with  all  its  loveli- 
ness and  brightness,  greet  the  astonished  vision;  the 
lame  man  throws  away  his  crutches,  and,  forgetful 
of  all  the  sorrows  of  the  past,  leaps  for  joy;    the 


Western    Cavaliers.  145 

leper,  scorned  and  hated,  and  driven  into  solitude, 
returns  to  the  bosom  of  society,  blessing  and  being 
blessed;  the  deaf,  no  longer  insensible  to  the  voice 
of  melody  and  of  song,  are  enraptured  with  strains 
far  surpassing  the  grandest  conceptions  of  the  mind; 
but,  look!  mausoleums  are  crumbling,  graves  are 
opening,  and  the  dead  are  starting  from  their  beds 
<>!' dust,  and  mingling  with  the  living  throng;  and 
the  poor,  whose  homes  have  been  in  the  highways 
and  hedges,  and  to  whose  ears  no  sweet  invitation  to 
be  saved  had  ever  come,  are  included  in  the  plan  of 
mercy,  and  have  the  gospel  preached  to  them.  Go, 
and  tell  your  master  what  you  have  heard  and  seen, 
and  then,  if  he  can,  let  him  doubt. 

We  have  given  scarcely  an  outline  of  the  intro- 
duction to  this  remarkable  sermon.  During  its  de- 
livery the  audience  was  often  moved  to  tears. 

William  Phillips  was  appointed  Secretary  of  the 
Conference,  in  the  place  of  William  Adams,  who 
had  for  many  years  previous  to  his  death  occupied 
that  position. 

The  usual  committees  were  appointed,  after  which 
Henry  B.  Bascom  offered  a  resolution  expressive  of 
the  deep  sorrow  of  the  Conference  over  the  loss  sus- 
tained by  the  inroads  of  death  during  the  year  which 
had  just  closed,  and  suggesting  the  appointment  of 
some  one  to  preach  a  sermon  commemorative  of 
those  who  had  died. 

During  no  previous  year  had  the  Church  sustained 

so  heavy  a  loss  by  the  death  of  its  ministers.     The 

greater  number  of  the  deceased  were  cavaliers  whose 

names  were  familiar  to  the  Church,  because  of  the 

7 


146  Western    Cavaliers. 

long  service  they  had  rendered,  and  who  had  led  the 
victorious  charge  in  many  a  stirring  conflict.  They 
had  fought  their  last  battle,  and  entered  upon  "the 
rest  that  remaineth  to  the  people  of  God." 

In  an  appropriate  resolution,  Henry  B.  Bascom 
was  "requested"  to  preach  a  sermon  in  memory  of 
the  departed  ministers. 

Among  the  items  of  business  transacted  by  the 
Conference  during  this  session  the  resolution  pro- 
posing that  "  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed  to 
prepare  an  address  to  the  members  and  friends  of 
the  Methodist  Church  on  the  subject  of  patronizing 
the  Western  Christian  Advocate,  for  the  purpose  of 
extending  its  circulation  within  the  bounds  of  the 
Kentucky  Conference,"  deserves  a  prominent  place. 

The  Western  Christian  Advocate,  established  in  the 
city  of  Cincinnati,  was  intended  to  meet  a  want 
which  was  deeply  felt  in  the  West.  ~No  Conference, 
not  even  the  Ohio,  was  more  deeply  interested  in  its 
success  than  the  Kentucky.  The  information  it 
contained  from  week  to  week  was  important  to  the 
Church,  not  only  making  known  its  progress  and 
growth,  but  awakening  an  interest  in  behalf  of  all 
its  enterprises.  Up  to  this  period  the  circulation 
of  the  paper  in  Kentucky  was  not  equal  either  to 
the  wants  of  the  Church  or  the  expectations  of  its 
friends.  It  is  true  that  in  some  of  the  charges  the 
subscription -list  was  all  that  could  be  reasonably 
expected,  and  in  these  charges  the  Church  pros- 
pered and  all  its  undertakings  were  successful;  in 
others,  however,  it  scarcely  found  its  way  to  a  soli- 
tary home,  and  a  corresponding  indifference  was 


Western   Cavaliers.  147 

shown  in  reference  to  every  interest  of  the  Church. 
While  many  of  the  preachers  felt  that  the  Christian 
Advocate  was  a  potent  auxiliary  in  the  accomplish- 
ment of  good,  and  presented  its  claims  to  the  patron- 
age of  their  people,  there  were  others  who  gave  no 
thought  to  the  subject,  and  almost  reluctantly  re- 
ceived the  names  of  subscribers  when  offered  to 
them.  To  support  a  Church -paper  then,  as  now, 
was  no  easy  task;  it  required  the  cooperation  of  all 
the  patronizing  Conferences  to  insure  its  success. 
Something  more  than  mere  Conference  resolutions, 
however,  was  necessary  to  consummate  this  object, 
and  the  design  of  the  action  of  the  body  was  not 
only  to  awaken  an  interest  in  the  minds  of  those 
preachers  who  had  hitherto  made  no  effort  to  place 
the  Advocate  in  the  families  they  visited,  but  to  call 
the  attention  of  the  Church  to  the  benefit  to  be  de- 
rived from  such  a  visitor  to  every  Christian  family.* 

Resolutions  recommending  the  Methodist  Magazine 
and  Quarterly  Review  were  also  adopted. 

The  subject  of  Temperance  came  before  the  Con- 
ference at  this  session,  as  it  had  done  for  several 
years  preceding.  The  General  Conference,  which 
was  to  meet  the  following  May,  was  memorialized 
"to  restore  Mr.  Wesley's  rule  on  the  subject  of  ar- 
dent spirits."!     ^  is  certainly  gratifying  to  know 

*No  preacher  is  true  either  to  himself  or  the  people  he 
serves  if  he  allows  a  family  in  his  charge  to  be  without  their 
Church-paper,  and  no  family  will  feel  the  same  interest  in  the 
Church,  deprived  of  this  blessing,  as  if  they  enjoyed  it. 

f  The  rule  is  as  follows:  "Drunkenness;  buying  and  selling 
spirituous  liquors,  or  drinking  them,  unless  in  cases  of  ox- 
treme  necessity." 


148  Western   Cavaliers. 

that  the  resolution  embodying  this  petition  to  the 
General  Conference  received  the  unanimous  vote  of 
the  body,  with  a  single  exception.  The  Journal  of 
the  Conference  declines  to  furnish  the  name  of  the 
preacher  who  voted  in  the  negative. 

The  Friday  before  the  ensuing  Christmas  was  set 
apart  "  as  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer  for  the  peace 
and  prosperity  of  Zion,  and  that  the  great  Head  of 
the  Church  would  send  forth  more  laborers  into  his 
vineyard.'' 

Resolutions  were  adopted,  urging  more  active 
efforts  in  behalf  of  education,  and  expressing  oppo- 
sition to  the  policy  of  Abolitionists  on  the  subject 
of  slavery. 

The  questions  of  Abolition  and  Colonization  had 
been  referred  to  a  large  and  able  committee,  con- 
sisting of  Henry  B.  Bascom,  Jonathan  Stamper, 
John  Littlejohn,  Joseph  S.  Tomlinson,  Hubbard 
H.  Kavanaugh,  Richard  Corwine,  John  Tevis,  and 
John  Beatty.  They  submitted  the  following  report, 
which  was  unanimously  adopted  by  the  Conference: 

"1.  Resolved,  by  the  Kentucky  Annual  Conference, 
That  we  strictly  adhere  to  the  principles  of  our 
Church  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  and  that  it  is  our 
purpose  to  persevere  in  the  course  hitherto  pursued, 
without  any  alliance  whatever  with  men  or  measures 
whose  object  may  be  an  interference  with  the  ques- 
tion of  slavery,  uncalled  for  by  the  common  good, 
and  productive  of  mischievous  rather  than  beneficial 
results. 

"2.  Resolved,  That,  in  the  judgment,  of  this  Con- 
ference, the  interference  of  Abolitionists  and  anti- 


Western   Cavaliers.  149 

slavery  associations,  in  the  .North  and  elsewhere,  by 
which  the  peace  and  quiet  of  a  large  portion  of  the 
nation  are  disturbed,  and  their  common  interest, 
laws,  and  safety  placed  in  jeopardy,  should  be  looked 
upon  as  an  unwarrantable  assumption  of  claim  and 
an  abuse  of  the  rights  of  citizenship. 

"  3.  Resolved,  That,  in  the  opinion  of  this  Con- 
ference, whenever  such  interference  with  the  rights 
of  American  citizens  is  attempted  by  foreign  emis- 
saries, whether  as  lecturers,  ecclesiastics,  or  other- 
wise, all  lawful  means  should  be  promptly  resorted 
to,  to  arrest  at  once  the  mischievous  tendency  of 
their  seditious  intermeddling  and  officious  insolence. 

"  4.  Resolved,  That,  without  presuming  to  decide, 
we  would  respectfully  suggest  that  it  is  a  dangerous 
maxim  to  be  adopted  by  American  citizens  in  the 
present  crisis,  that  we  may  appreciate  as  pure  and 
correct  the  motives  of  men  whose  measures  and 
movements  tend  directly  to  subvert  the  Constitution 
and  dissolve  the  Government. 

"5.  Resolved,  That  it  is  not  considered  by  this 
body  allowable  for  any  minister  or  member  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  within  the  limits  of 
this  Conference,  or,  as  we  conceive,  elsewhere,  to 
resort  to  any  extra-judicial  means  whatever  for  the 
purpose  of  interfering  with  the  question  of  slavery. 

"6.  Resolved,  That  we  continue  to  repose  entire 
confidence  in  the  rectitude,  policy,  and  operations 
of  the  American  Colonization  Society,  and  that  we 
commend  it  to  all  who  are  likely  to  regard  our 
opinions  as  any  way  worthy  their  approval  and 
patronage." 


150  Western    Cavaliers. 

The  Kentucky  Conference  plainly  foresaw  the  re- 
sults of  the  policy  of  Abolitionists  upon  the  Church 
as  well  as  the  State,  and  deemed  it  proper  to  place 
itself  right  before  the  people  of  Kentucky  and  be- 
fore the  nation. 

On  Monday,  the  fifth  day  of  the  session,  Henry  B. 
Bascom,  Benjamin  T.  Crouch,  Edward  Stevenson, 
Jonathan  Stamper,  Hubbard  H.  Kavanaugh,  and 
George  W.  Taylor  were  elected  delegates  to  the 
General  Conference,  and  John  Christian  Harrison 
and  Josiah  Whitaker  were  elected  reserve  delegates. 

Under  the  administration  of  Bishop  Andrew  the 
business  was  rapidly  dispatched,  and  from  the  com- 
mencement to  the  close  of  the  Conference  the  most 
perfect  harmony  prevailed. 

The  preaching  during  the  session  was  of  a  very 
high  order.  It  was  the  first  Conference  on  which 
we  had  ever  looked,  and  we  listened  to  every  sermon 
that  was  preached  in  the  Methodist  Church.  We 
were  too  young,  perhaps,  to  be  able  to  form  an  ac- 
curate judgment  in  reference  to  the  pulpit  ability 
of  the  distinguished  preachers  who  were  present, 
yet  accustomed,  as  the  citizens  of  Shelby ville  were, 
to  listening  to  the  ablest  ministers  of  all  denomina- 
tions, it  was  the  commonly  expressed  opinion  that 
on  no  former  occasion  had  that  community  been  so 
greatly  favored  in  this  regard.  Although  forty 
years  have  intervened  since  that  meeting,  we  re- 
member with  distinctness  several  of  the  sermons 
which  were  preached,  and  the  impressions  they 
made  on  our  mind. 

The  sermon  delivered  by  Thomas  £T.  Ralston — 


Western    Cavaliers.  151 

then  a  young  man — from  the  text  "  Return  unto  thy 
rest,  0  my  soul;  for  the  Lord  hath  dealt  bountifully 
with  thee,"*  was  not  only  a  masterpiece  of  compo- 
sition, but  produced  a  wonderful  effect.  We  have 
since  often  listened,  with  thrilling  interest,  to  the 
same  distinguished  divine,  but  on  no  occasion  have 
we  heard  him  excel  the  sermon  he  preached  at  that 
time.  The  soul — its  immortality  and  its  capacity 
for  suffering  or  for  bliss — a  wanderer  from  God,  its 
only  source  of  rest — the  exhortation  to  return,  and 
the  rich  provision  made  through  the  atonement  of 
Jesus  Christ  for  its  happiness  here  and  hereafter — 
were  the  themes  on  which  the  preacher  dwelt.  In 
a  whisper  soft  as  the  evening  zephyr  he  portrayed 
the  sufferings  of  Christ  for  the  sins  of  mankind, 
and  the  rich  inheritance  provided  for  the  world  by 
the  death  of  the  Son  of  God.  He  dipped  his  pencil 
in  living  light  to  paint  the  agonies  that  Jesus  bore, 
and  to  unfold  the  glittering  splendors  of  the  heav- 
enly state  in  which  the  soul  should  bask  forever  and 
ever.  Then,  rising  to  the  loftiest  heights  of  oratory, 
he  pointed  to  the  realms  of  night — unending  night 
— where  the  soul,  invested  with  immortality,  should 
roam  amid  darkness  and  gloom,  through  eternal 
ages — lost,  lost,  forever  lost ! 

Tuesday  morning,  September  22d,  at  half-past  ten 
o'clock,  was  fixed  as  the  time  for  the  service  in 
memory  of  deceased  ministers  of  the  Conference — 
Mr.  Bascom  to  preach  the  sermon,  according  to  ap- 
pointment. The  veteran  Ogden,  the  quaint  and 
devoted  Harrison,  the  mild  and  gentle  Adams,  the 

*  Psalm  cxvi.  7. 


152  Western    Cavaliers. 

zealous  Landrum,  the  youthful  Cosby  and  Outteu, 
had  fought  their  last  battle,  and  received  their  dis- 
charge. The  interest  of  the  occasion,  as  well  as 
the  fame  of  the  preacher,  attracted  to  the  house  of 
worship  an  immense  assembly.  It  was  a  solemn 
time.  Mr.  B.  read  his  text:  "  0  death,  where  is  thy 
sting?  O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ?  The  sting  of 
death  is  sin;  and  the  strength  of  sin  is  the  law. 
But  thanks  be  to  God,  which  giveth  us  the  victory 
through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ."* 

Sin  had  introduced  death  into  the  world,  and 
death  was  the  enemy  of  mankind.  He  passes  over 
the  world,  and  through  the  generations  destroys  the 
human  race;  he  brings  desolation  and  sorrow  to 
every  hearth  and  to  every  heart;  none  can  escape 
his  grasp.  The  home  of  poverty  and  the  abode  of 
wealth  are  alike  invaded,  and,  without  distinction, 
all  fall  a  prey  to  his  prowess  and  his  power.  The 
world  is  a  vast  grave-yard,  and  all  are  hurrying  to 
the  goal.  Is  there  no  hope  for  the  human  family? 
Is  there  no  relief  from  the  terrible  doom  from 
whose  threatenings  all  would  flee?  Where  shall 
man  look  for  help?  The  heavens  above  are  dark; 
the  cloud  of  Divine  wrath  rolls  up  heavy  from  the 
horizon,  until  it  covers  our  spiritual  sky  with  sack- 
cloth and  gloom;  it  hangs  about  the  world  silent, 
dark,  and  terrible.  The  sleeping  thunderbolt  is 
ready  at  every  moment  to  leap  from  its  stormy 
home,  and  explode  on  the  very  hearthstone  of  our 
planet.  Every  human  system  is  impotent  to  a\  erf 
the  awful  catastrophe.  It  was  then  that  the  Son  of 
*  1  Cor.  xv.  55-57. 


Western   Cavaliers.  153 

God,  with  an  arm  omnipotent,  disarmed  the  cloud 
of  its  wrath,  until  its  darkness  dissolved  in  purple 
and  gold,  and  the  rainbow  came  out  and  stood,  like 
an  angel  of  peace,  on  its  glittering  folds.  "  It  is 
finished!"  falls  from  the  dying  lips  of  the  Man  of 
Sorrows,  and  rolls  with  inexpressible  sweetness  to 
the  skies;  and  Death,  powerless  in  his  own  domin- 
ions— no  longer  a  conqueror — yields  to  Him  who 
broke  his  massive  bars  and  "brought  life  and  im- 
mortality to  light." 

We  will  not,  however,  attempt  even  a  synopsis 
of  this  sermon. 

On  Sunday  of  the  Conference,  at  eleven  o'clock, 
Bishop  Andrew  preached  previous  to  the  ordination 
of  the  deacons.  His  text  was  "Preach  the  word; 
be  instant  in  season,  out  of  season."  *  No  man  was 
better  qualified  to  preach  at  an  hour  like  this  than 
Bishop  Andrew.  Soundly  converted,  and  divinely 
called  to  the  work  of  the  Christian  ministry,  and 
by  experience  familiar  with  every  variety  of  ap- 
pointment, and  devoted  to  the  cause  in  which  he 
was  spending  his  noble  life,  he  was  well  prepared 
to  utter  words  of  cheer  to  younger  men  who  had 
entered  upon  this  service.  With  him  a  divine  call 
to  the  work  of  the  Christian  ministry  was  essen- 
tial. "  No  man  taketh  this  honor  to  himself,  but  he 
that  is  called  of  God."  "  The  harvest  truly  is  plen- 
teous, but  the  laborers  are  few;  pray  ye  therefore 
the  Lord  of  the  harvest  that  he  will  send  forth  la- 
borers into  his  harvest."  No  man,  however  brilliant 
his  talents — however  anxious  he  may  be  to  build  up 

*  2  Tim.  iv.  2. 

7* 


154  Western   Cavaliers. 

the  Church,  or  to  accomplish  good — has  the  right  to 
become  a  preacher  unless  God  calls  him  to  the  work. 
In  God,  and  in  him  alone,  is  vested  the  authority  to 
call  men  into  this  high  and  holy  office;  nor  has  the 
man  whom  he  chooses  any  right  to  refuse.  !No  plea 
for  declining  to  enter  upon  the  work  can  avail.  A 
man  may  be  destitute  of  commanding  abilities,  or 
he  .may  not  be  fluent  in  speech — outward  circum- 
stances may  be  all  unfavorable — yet,  if  God  calls 
him  to  preach  the  gospel,  the  call  is  imperative. 
He  discussed  the  itinerant  system  of  the  Methodist 
Church,  and  advocated  it  as  the  apostolic  plan, 
adopted  by  Jesus  Christ  himself,  and  as  the  only 
plan  by  which  the  highways  and  hedges  can  be  vis- 
ited and  the  poor  have  the  gospel  preached  to  them. 
By  this  system,  Methodism — younger  by  far  than  any 
other  leading  branch  of  the  Church  in  America — has 
surpassed  and  distanced  all  others  in  the  achieve- 
ment of  good.  To-day  it  stands  without  a  rival  not 
only  in  the  energy  it  displays,  but  in  the  thousands 
who  worship  at  its  altars.  Its  votaries  are  every- 
where— in  the  crowded  city  and  in  the  home  of  the 
humble  mountaineer — brought  into  the  Church  and 
to  Christ  through  the  instrumentality  of  the  itin- 
erant system.  It  is  God's  plan.  Now  and  then  a 
restless  spirit  may  be  found,  who  would  blot  itiner- 
ancy from  the  map  of  Methodism,  because  he  is 
unwilling  to  participate  in  its  sacrifices.  The  life 
of  a  traveling  Methodist  preacher  is  not  a  life  of 
ease;  it  is  not  the  road  to  pleasure,  to  fortune,  or 
to  fame.  If  influenced  by  any  of  these  considera- 
tions, abandon  at  once  a  work  which  makes  no  such 


Western   Cavaliers.  155 

promises  and  offers  no  such  rewards.  He  urged 
upon  the  preachers  the  fact  that  in  entering  the 
itinerant  ministry  they  had  no  right  to  break  the 
rules,  or  to  inveigh  against  the  system;  that  they 
had  entered  it  voluntarily,  and  could  retire  from  it 
whenever  it  might  please  them  to  do  so. 

We  shall  never  forget  his  earnest  appeal  to  the 
preachers,  not  only  to  go  to  the  fields  of  labor  as- 
signed them,  promptly,  but  to  be  faithful  in  their 
work.  "  Never  neglect  an  appointment,"  he  said, 
"if  possible  to  meet  it.  Let  neither  sunshine  nor 
storm,  rain  nor  snow,  keep  you  from  meeting  your 
appointments;  you  may  be  to ater -bound,  but  never 
weather-bound.'" 

It  was  two  years  later  when  we  joined  the  Con- 
ference; but  the  impressions  made  on  our  mind  by 
this  sermon  have  never  been  effaced.  The  admoni- 
tions of  that  hour  contributed  largely  to  the  forma- 
tion of  our  character  as  a  Methodist  preacher,  and 
are  still  among  the  most  fondly-cherished  memories 
of  our  heart. 

It  was  at  this  Conference  that  the  first  annual 
report  of  the  Kentucky  Conference  Missionary  So- 
ciety was  read.  The  missionary  meeting  was  held 
on  Monday  afternoon,  September  21st.  Bishop  An- 
drew was  invited  to  preach  a  sermon  on  the  occa- 
sion. His  text  was  "  Say  not  ye,  There  are  yet  four 
months,  and  then  cometh  harvest?  behold,  I  say 
unto  you,  Lift  up  your  eyes,  and  look  on  the  fields; 
for  they  are  white  already  to  harvest."  * 

Three  years  had  elapsed  since  the  first  missionary 
*  John  iv.  35. 


156  Western   Cavaliers. 

money  had  been  reported  by  the  Kentucky  Confer- 
ence, and  the  amounts  previously  collected  were 
chiefly,  if  not  entirely,  contributed  by  the  preachers 
themselves.  Little,  however,  had  been  done  in  this 
direction.  An  apathy  pervaded  the  Church,  or 
rather  but  little  interest  had  ever  been  awakened, 
in  reference  to  missionary  enterprise;  and  both  the 
preachers  and  people  needed  to  be  aroused.  The 
whole  field  demanding  Christian  effort  was  sur- 
veyed by  Bishop  Andrew.  The  world  belonged  to 
God,  having  been  purchased  by  the  sufferings  and 
death  of  his  Son  Jesus  Christ.  They  had  revolted 
from  their  rightful  Sovereign,  and  sought  for  bliss 
in  other  objects,  but  had  sought  in  vain.  The  pagan 
world,  becoming  disgusted  with  idol-worship,  passed 
in  review  before  the  audience — with  uplifted  hands, 
appealing  for  help,  and  with  the  cry  upon  their  lips, 
"Who  will  show  us  any  good?"  No  friendly  hand 
had  reached  out  to  save  them;  no  ear  had  listened 
to  their  plaintive  appeal;  their  cries,  their  tears, 
their  prayers,  had  been  unheeded;  and  nation  after 
nation  had  fallen  into  hell,  while  Christians,  with 
folded  arms,  satisfied  their  consciences  with  the  con- 
venient plea,  "Charity  begins  at  home."  For  more 
than  an  hour  he  pleaded,  as  a  man  pleads  for  his 
life,  the  cause  of  those  "who  sit  in  darkness  and  in 
the  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death."  The  sermon 
gave  a  fresh  impulse  to  the  preachers;  the  entire 
assembly  was  stirred;  tears  flowed  freely  down  the 
faces  of  men  unused  to  weep,  and  resolutions  were 
formed  never  to  be  broken.*  The  collection,  at 
*The  Rev.  John  Netherton,  a  Baptist  preacher,  was  occu- 


Western    Cavaliers.  157 

the  close  of  this  very  effective  sermon,  amounted  to 
$1,684.50. 

Seven  preachers  were  admitted  on  trial — viz.: 
Thomas  Demoss,  William  M.  Crawford,  George  S. 
Savage,  Thomas  R.  Malone,  John  C.  C.  Thompson, 
William  Burns,  and  Alexander  Kessinger. 

Of  those  who  had  entered  the  Conference  one 
year  before,  Ezekiel  Mobley,  George  W.  Simcoe, 
and  John  C.  Niblack  were  discontinued — the  first 
because  of  inability,  on  account  of  feeble  health,  to 
perform  the  duties  of  an  itinerant,  and  the  latter 
two  because  they  had  failed  to  attend  to  the  work 
assigned  them. 

On  the  superannuated  list  we  find  but  ten  names. 
The  names  of  Herrington  Stevens  and  George  W. 
Taylor  appear  on  this  list  for  the  first  time. 

William  Cundiff,  Henry  J.  Evans,  Richard  I. 
Dungan,  Thomas  P.  Farmer,  Newton  G.  Berryman, 
Bluford  Henry,  John  Johnson,  Clement  L.  Clifton, 
Blachley  C.  Wood,  and  George  Richardson,  located. 

William  Cundiff  had  been  an  itinerant  since  1826. 
His  fields  of  ministerial  labor  were  the  Clarke  River, 
Livingston,  Little  River,  Big  Sandy,  Little  Sandy, 
Highland,  Little  Sandy,  and  Lewis  Circuits.  In  all 
these  charges  he  had  been  faithful  and  useful. 

Henry  J.  Evans  was  admitted  on  trial  into  the 
Virginia  Conference  in  February,   1827,  and  was 

pying  the  same  seat  with  the  author.  During  the  sermon, 
overcome  by  the  powerful  appeals  of  the  Bishop,  he  thrust 
his  hand  into  his  pocket  and,  taking  out  his  pocket-book,  ex- 
claimed aloud:  "I  am  crazy  to  give!  I  wish  he  would  quit, 
and  give  me  an  opportunity  to  do  so." 


158  Western    Cavaliers. 

appointed  to  the  Banister  Circuit.  In  1828  we  find 
him  on  the  Haw  River  Circuit,  and  in  1829  on  the 
Elizabeth.  At  the  Conference  of  1830  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  Straits  Circuit,  in  North  Carolina, 
and  in  1831  to  the  Cumberland  Circuit,  as  super- 
numerary. In  the  autumn  of  1831  we  find  him 
stationed  in  Hopkinsville,  Kentucky,  to  which  Con- 
ference he  was  regularly  transferred  from  the  Vir- 
ginia Conference,  at  the  session  held  in  the  city  of 
Norfolk,  in  February,  1832.  His  second  appoint- 
ment in  Kentucky  wTas  to  the  Russellville  Station. 
In  1833  he  was  appointed  to  Mount  Sterling  Circuit, 
and  in  1834  to  the  Winchester.  During  the  year  he 
traveled  the  Winchester  Circuit  his  health  became 
feeble,  and  at  the  ensuing  Conference  he  asked  for  a 
location.  Mr.  Evans  was  an  excellent  man,  and  a 
preacher  of  more  than  ordinary  promise,  and  was 
rising  rapidly  in  the  Conference.  While  he  traveled 
he  was  eminently  useful.  His  location  was  greatly 
regretted  by  his  brethren.  In  a  local  sphere  he  was 
successful  and  beloved. 

Thomas  P.  Farmer  was  admitted  on  trial  into  the 
Conference  of  1829.  His  appointments  were  the 
Fleming,  Breckinridge,  Yellow  Banks,  Shelby,  New- 
castle, and  Breckinridge  Circuits.  He  was  greatly 
beloved  by  the  people  he  served,  and  won  many 
souls  to  Christ.  As  a  preacher  his  talents  were  not 
of  a  high  order,  but  his  sermons  were  plain  and 
practical.* 

*  Thomas  P.  Farmer  lived  less  than  a  year  after  he  located. 
He  joined  the  Methodist  Church  and  embraced  religion  in 
182  1,  when  only  twelve  years  of  age,  and  entered  the  ministry 


Western    Cavaliers.  159 

Bluforcl  Henry  entered  the  Conference  the  same 
year  with  Thomas  P.  Farmer.  His  appointments 
were  the  Mount  Vernon,  Big  Sandy,  Hartford,  Eliza- 
beth, and  Green  River  (two  years)  Circuits.  He  was 
a  good  and  true  man. 

John  Johnson  had  entered  the  itinerant  ranks  in 
1808,  Blachley  C.  Wood  in  1820,  George  Richardson 
and  Clement  L.  Clifton  in  1823.  They  were  useful 
and  true  ministers  of  Jesus  Christ.* 

We  also  find  the  names  of  Richard  I.  Dungan 
and  Newton  G.  Berryman  among  those  who  located 
at  this  Conference.  At  a  later  period,  however,  we 
see  them  again  in  the  itinerant  ranks,  prosecuting 
their  ministry  with  undiminished  zeal. 

The  Kentucky  Conference,  at  this  period,  em- 
braced seventy  appointments,  to  which  ninety-seven 
preachers  were  sent.  Henry  S.  Duke  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  Lexington  District,  as  successor  to 
the  lamented  Adams,  who  had  fallen  at  his  post. 

in  his  eighteenth  year.  lie  located  for  the  purpose  of  visiting 
friends  who  had  removed  West,  and  to  examine  the  country, 
intending  to  reenter  the  Conference  the  following  year.  He 
possessed  a  fine  constitution,  and  was  deeply  pious.  He  died 
July  24,  1836,  of  bilious  fever.  During  his  sickness,  which 
lasted  eleven  days,  he  exhorted  all  who  came  to  see  him  to 
meet  him  in  heaven.  While  dying,  he  said:  "0  that  I  had 
strength  and  language  to  describe  the  glorious  scene  before 
me!  I  am  so  happy — had  I  strength,  I  would  shout  the  high 
praise  of  God."  His  last  words  were,  "Tell  the  preachers  to 
be  faithful." 

*  For  sketches  of  John  Johnson,  Blachley  C.  Wood,  George 
Richardson,  and  Clement  L.  Clifton,  see  "  Methodism  in  Ken- 
tucky." 


160  Western   Cavaliers. 

The  eloquent  Jonathan  Stamper  follows  Richard 
Tydings,  whose  term  had  expired,  on  the  Augusta 
District.  John  James  is  returned  to  the  Harrods- 
burg  District,  and  William  Gunn,  who  the  previous 
year  had  traveled  the  Shelby  Circuit,  becomes  the 
leader  of  the  hosts  in  the  Louisville  District,  in  the 
place  of  Benjamin  T.  Crouch,  who  is  sent  to  Shel- 
byville,  Brick  Chapel,  and  Christiansburg.  On  the 
Hopkinsville  District  we  still  find  Isaac  Collard, 
while  the  name  of  Thomas  Lasley  appears  on  the 
Greensburg,  instead  of  that  of  George  W.  Taylor, 
who  is  placed  among  the  superannuated. 

In  the  South-eastern  portion  of  the  State,  the 
Cumberland  and  Kentucky  Missions — embracing  a 
vast  extent  of  territory — had  been  included  in  the 
Harrodsburg  District.  Under  this  arrangement  it 
was  impossible  for  the  work  in  the  mountains  to 
receive  such  attention  from  the  Presiding  Elder  as 
the  interests  of  the  Church  in  that  region  demanded. 
To  this  rugged  field  young  preachers,  not  only 
without  experience,  but  without  ordination,  were 
usually  sent,  and  there  were  not  ordained  local 
preachers  sufficient  to  administer  baptism.  It  was 
deemed  advisable  at  this  Conference  to  form  a 
mountain  District,  to  be  called  the  Barboursville 
District,  and  appoint  to  it  a  Presiding  Elder  whose 
entire  time  would  be  spent  in  that  field;  hence  we 
find  another  District,  with  Thomas  W.  Chandler  as 
Presiding  Elder,  and  with  six  separate  charges,  in- 
stead of  two  as  before,  supplied  with  nine  preachers, 
where  the  previous  year  four  had  been  appointed. 

Last  year  we  reported   a  large  decrease   in  the 


Western   Cavaliers.  161 

membership  in  Kentucky;  we  regret  that  we  are 
compelled  to  do  so  again.  The  decrease  in  the  Ken- 
tucky Conference  this  year  is  one  thousand  six  hun- 
dred and  twenty-eight  in  the  white  membership,  and 
three  hundred  and  seventy  in  the  colored.  In  every 
District  except  the  Barboursville  a  decrease  in  the 
white  membership  is  reported,  and  the  Louisville 
District  alone  shows  an  increase  in  the  colored  mem- 
bership. 

The  transfer  of  the  Cumberland  and  Kentucky 
Missions  from  the  Harrodsburg  to  the  Barboursville 
District  will  more  than  cover  the  decrease  reported 
in  the  former.  In  the  Lexington  District  there  is  a 
falling  off  in  every  charge,  and  in  the  Maysville 
District  the  Lewis  Circuit — to  which  Lorenzo  D. 
Parker  had  been  appointed — is  the  only  charge 
where  any  increase  is  reported.  In  the  Harrods- 
burg District,  the  Danville  and  Harrodsburg  Sta- 
tion, under  the  ministry  of  William  Helm,  reports 
a  small  increase.  The  Yellow  Banks  and  Newcastle 
Circuits,  in  the  Louisville  District — the  former  in 
charge  of  the  indefatigable  Richard  D.  Neale,  and 
the  latter  served  by  Joseph  Gr.  Ward  and  Eli  B. 
Crain,  both  of  whom  were  zealous  young  men — 
enjoyed  prosperity.  In  the  Hopkinsville  District, 
the  Russell ville  Station,  with  Richard  Deering  as 
pastor,  and  the  Livingston  Circuit,  under  the  charge 
of  Robert  F.  Turner  and  Henry  Edmondson,  both 
of  whom  were  devoted  to  their  work,  reported 
many  additions  to  the  Church.  In  the  Greensburg 
District,  an  increase  is  reported  in  the  Wayne  Cir- 
cuit, whose  preacher  was  Joseph  D.  Barnet;  in  the 


162  Western   Cavaliers. 

Glasgow  Circuit,  where  Clinton  Kelley  and  John  C. 
C.  Thompson  were  the  preachers;  in  the  Elizabeth 
Circuit,  served  by  the  good  John  Denham;  in  the 
Bardstown  Station,  to  which  John  Beatty  had  been 
appointed;  and  in  the  Burksville  Circuit,  whose 
preacher  was  the  sweet-spirited  Elijah  M.  Bosley. 
In  all  the  other  charges  in  the  Conference  a  decrease 
is  reported.  However,  revivals  occurred  in  several 
of  the  charges  that  were  numerically  weakened.  In 
the  Burlington  Circuit,  in  the  Lexington  District, 
whose  preachers  were  Thomas  Rankin  and  William 
M.  Crawford,  sixty  persons  were  received  into  the 
Church;  and  the  Falmouth  and  Port  William  Cir- 
cuits, in  the  same  District,  enjoyed  revivals.  In  the 
former,  under  the  ministry  of  James  C.  Crow, 
twenty-five  were  admitted  to  membership,  and  in 
the  latter,  served  by  John  Carr  Harrison,  many 
were  converted.  In  the  city  of  Maysville,  in  the 
Maysville  District,  the  labors  of  Thomas  Waring 
were  greatly  blessed;  while  in  the  same  District,  in 
the  pleasant  village  of  Augusta,  there  were  nearly 
one  hundred  conversions  and  additions  to  the 
Church — one-fifth  of  them  students  in  the  college; 
and  at  Dover  seventy  additions  to  the  Church, 
under  the  ministry  of  John  W.  Biggin  and  Peter 
Taylor.  The  Danville  Circuit,  in  the  Harrodsburg 
District — Gilby  Kelley  and  Robinson  E.  Sidebottom, 
pastors  in  charge,  both  gifted  and  zealous — was 
aroused,  and  at  a  single  camp-meeting,  held  on 
Ridgeway's  land,  two  miles  from  Perry ville,  be- 
tween ninety  and  one  hundred  were  converted.  In 
the  Hopkinsville  District,  there  was  an  extensive 


Western   Cavaliers.  163 

revival  in  the  Bowling  Green  Circuit,  under  the 
ministry  of  William  S.  Evans  and  Daniel  Barksdale. 
We  may  properly  pause,  and  inquire  into  the 
cause  of  so  great  a  declension  in  the  membership  in 
Kentucky  during  the  past  two  years.  In  several  of 
the  charges  where  extensive  revivals  were  reported 
a  decrease  occurs.  For  the  two  previous  years  there 
had  been  a  large  ingathering  into  the  Church;  many 
hundreds  had  professed  saving  faith  in  Christ,  and 
had  become  identified  with  his  followers.  That  a 
dearth  in  religion  sometimes  succeeds  a  great  out- 
pouring of  the  Holy  Spirit  is  familiar  to  all  who 
have  watched  the  signs  of  the  times;  and  that  many 
become  connected  with  the  Church  during  a  period 
of  religious  excitement  who,  when  the  interest  and 
ardor  of  the  hour  pass  away,  turn  back  to  the  world 
will  scarcely  be  denied.  It  was  so  in  the  apostolic 
age  of  the  Church,  and  will  be  so  to  the  end  of 
time.  While  this  fact  may  account,  in  part,  for  the 
losses  to  Methodism  in  Kentucky  during  the  two 
past  years,  there  is  another  reason  to  which  we  may 
allude.  The  lands  in  many  sections  of  the  State 
of  Kentucky  had  reached  figures  that  were  almost 
fabulous,  while  the  cheap  lands  of  Missouri,  Illinois, 
and  Indiana  invited  emigration  from  older  and  more 
populous  settlements.  For  several  years  preachers 
from  Kentucky  had  been  transferred  to  these  new 
and  flourishing  States.  As  early  as  1830  William 
H.  Asking,  John  Sinclair,  and  Samuel  Julian  were 
transferred  to  the  Illinois  Conference,  and  John  K. 
Lacey  to  the  Missouri ;  in  1831  William  A.  H.  Spratt, 
Andrew  Peace,  John  S.  Barger,  and  Learner  B. 


164  Western   Cavaliers. 

Stateler  left  Kentucky,  and  identified  themselves 
with  the  Missouri  Conference;  in  1832  the  gifted 
and  popular  Peter  Akers  was  transferred  to  the 
Illinois  Conference;  in  1834  John  F.  Young  and 
Thomas  "Wallace  were  left  without  appointments 
"in  view  of  a  transfer  to  the  Missouri  Conference;" 
in  the  same  year  George  C.  Light  was  transferred 
to  Missouri,  Richard  Bird  to  Illinois,  and  Charles 
M.  Holliday  to  the  Indiana  Conference.  The  ma- 
jority of  these  preachers  had  attained  to  eminence 
in  Kentucky,  and  the  most,  if  not  all,  of  them  were 
well  known  throughout  the  State.  Pleased  with 
the  reception  extended  them  in  their  new  homes,  in 
corresponding  with  the  people  they  had  formerly 
served  and,  in  many  instances,  brought  into  the 
Church,  they  gave  flattering  accounts  of  the  health- 
ful climate  and  fertile  soil  of  these  new  States. 
Hundreds  were  thus  induced  to  sell  their  homes  in 
Kentucky ,  and  go  farther  West.  It  was  not  unfre- 
quently  the  case  that  the  membership  of  a  single 
Society  was  thereby  reduced  one-half,  and  some- 
times entirely  broken  up.  The  cause,  however,  was 
a  common  one.  What  was  lost  in  Kentucky  was 
gained  elsewhere.  While  Kentucky  reported  such 
a  decline  in  membership  in  the  Conference  of  1835, 
the  Missouri  Conference  reported  an  increase  of 
nine  hundred  and  twenty-eight  white  and  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty-eight  colored  members,  the  Illinois 
Conference  an  increase  of  two  hundred  and  thirty 
white  and  nine  colored  members,  and  the  Indiana 
Conference  an  increase  of  two  hundred  and  fifty- 
two  white  and  eleven  colored — making  a  total  in- 


Western    Cavaliers.  165 

crease  in  these  new  Conferences  of  fourteen  hundred 
and  thirteen  white  and  one  hundred  and  forty-eight 
colored  members.  In  1836  the  Missouri  Conference 
reported  an  increase  of  nine  hundred  and  seventy- 
two  white  and  one  hundred  and  twenty-four  col- 
ored, the  Illinois  Conference  seventeen  hundred  and 
twenty  white,  and  the  Indiana  Conference  two 
thousand  four  hundred  and  forty-nine  white  and 
one  hundred  and  sixty-seven  colored.  Much  of  the 
decrease  in  Kentucky  may  be  traced  to  emigration 
to  these  new  States. 

On  the  Paris  District,  in  the  Tennessee  Conference, 
Thomas  Joyner  succeeded  George  W.  D.  Harris,  and 
on  the  Hickman  Circuit  we  find  Nathan  L.  Norvell 
and  Edmund  J.  Williams,  and  on  the  Wadesboro 
Circuit  John  D.  Neale  and  John  H.  Mann.  At  the 
Tennessee  Conference  of  1835  the  Paducah  Circuit 
was  formed,  and  Garrett  W.  Martin  and  Jacob 
Custer  appointed  to  it.  Mr.  Joyner  had  previously 
preached  the  gospel  of  Christ  in  other  portions  of 
Kentucky,  and  made  for  himself  a  good  name  wher- 
ever he  had  labored.  He  had  left  the  State  in  1824, 
when  almost  a  youth,  and  we  are  gratified  to  record 
that  in  the  full  zenith  of  his  manhood  his  name 
again  appears  in  the  list  of  preachers  in  Kentucky. 
He  was  no  ordinary  man,  and  no  preacher  in  the 
Conference  was  better  qualified  to  follow  the  gifted 
Harris  on  the  Paris  District. 

Notwithstanding  the  preachers  were  earnest  and 
zealous  in  their  labors,  the  membership  in  Jackson's 
Purchase  decreased  one  hundred  and  fourteen  in  the 
white  and  thirty-five  in  the  colored — making  a  total 


166  Western   Cavaliers. 

decrease  in  the  State,  for  the  year,  of  seventeen  hun- 
dred and  seventy  white,  and  three  hundred  and  six 
colored. 

This  year  the  Church  was  called  to  mourn  the  loss 
of  Bishop  McKendree.  He  died  in  great  triumph, 
March  5,  1835. 


Western   Cavaliers.  167 


CHAPTER  V. 

FROM  THE  SESSION  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CONFERENCE  OF 
1836  TO  THE  CONFERENCE  OF  1837. 

Soldiers  of  Christ,  arise! 

And  put  your  armor  on, 
Strong  in  the  strength  which  God  supplies 

Through  his  Eternal  Son: 
Strong  in  the  Lord  of  hosts, 

And  in  his  mighty  power, 
Who  in  the  strength  of  Jesus  trusts 

Is  more  than  conqueror. 

THE  Conference  of  1836  met  in  Louisville,  on 
the  19th  of  October.  The  weather  was  re- 
markably cold  for  the  season  of  the  year.  On 
Monday  night,  before  the  session  opened,  considera- 
ble snow  fell,  which  rendered  the  traveling  of  the 
preachers — performed  chiefly  on  horseback — quite 
unpleasant.  The  attendance  was  full,  scarcely  a 
member  of  the  body  being  absent. 

Bishop  Soule,  to  whom  Kentucky  was  assigned 
in  the  plan  of  episcopal  visitation,  had  not  reached 
the  city  when  the  Conference  opened.  Jonathan 
Stamper  was  elected  President,  and  George  McNelly 
and  Richard  D.  Neale  were  elected  Secretaries. 

During  the   morning    session    the   several  com- 


168  Western   Cavaliers. 

mittees — on  Public  Worship,  on  Finance,  and  on 
Memoirs — were  appointed,  after  which  the  Confer- 
ence adjourned  until  three  o'clock  p.m. 

In  the  meantime  Bishop  Soule  arrived,  and  was 
present  at  the  afternoon  session,  and  took  the  chair. 

The  report  of  the  Book  Agents  at  New  York 
was  submitted  and  referred  to  an  appropriate  com- 
mittee, and  a  committee  was  also  appointed  to 
"  draw  up  and  report  a  proper  course  of  study  for 
candidates  for  the  ministry." 

The  greater  portion  of  the  session  was  taken  up 
with  the  examination  of  the  characters  of  the 
preachers,  and  the  election  of  traveling  and  local 
preachers  to  the  offices  of  deacon  and  elder. 

The  subject  of  Education  and  the  interest  of  Au- 
gusta College  received  more  consideration  than  any 
thing  else.  Resolutions  were  adopted,  calculated  to 
enlist  in  behalf  of  the  college  the  sympathies  and 
patronage  of  the  Church  and  the  active  efforts  of 
the  members  of  the  Conference.  Too  little  had 
been  done  in  this  direction.  A  few  of  the  preachers 
had  used  every  means  within  their  reach  to  promote 
the  success  of  this  institution  of  learning,  while 
others  seemed  scarcely  to  give  it  a  serious  thought. 
To  rally  the  Conference  to  its  support  and  to 
awaken  the  Church  throughout  the  State  to  the 
good  that  might  be  accomplished  through  its  in- 
strumentality were  the  objects  of  the  resolutions 
adopted. 

Besides  what  we  have  mentioned,  nothing  unusual 
took  place  during  the  session. 

Thirteen  preachers  were  admitted  on  trial  at  this 


Western    Cavaliers.  169 

session  of  the  Conference:  Andrew  J.  McLaughlin, 
Greenup  Barker,  William  B.  Maxey,  Edwin  Roberts, 
John  J.  Harrison,  George  S.  Gatewood,  Theophilus 
Powell,  John  Waring,  Seybourn  Crutchfield,  Robert 
G.  Gardner,  William  James,  Alanson  C.  Dewitt, 
Aaron  H.  Rice. 

The  names  of  William  Burns  and  Alexander 
Kessinger  disappear  from  the  list  of  those  admitted 
the  previous  year.  The  circumstances  of  Mr.  Kes- 
singer were  such  that  he  could  not  devote  himself 
exclusively  to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  Mr. 
Burns's  itinerant  career  was  brief.  He  had  scarcely 
entered  the  Conference  when  death  summoned  him 
away.  He  was  appointed  to  the  Prestonsburg  Cir- 
cuit, as  the  colleague  of  Foster  H.  Blades,  and  en- 
tered upon  his  work  with  the  zeal  of  a  true  disciple 
of  Christ.  His  ministry  among  the  people  was 
greatly  blessed;  but  in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness 
he  was  called  from  labor  to  reward. 

The  name  of  John  Tevis  appears  on  the  superan- 
nuated list,  while  the  names  of  George  W.  Taylor 
and  George  McNelly  are  again  restored  to  the  ef- 
fective roll. 

James  G.  Leach,  William  S.  Evans,  John  Redman, 
and  Herri ngton  Stevens,  located. 

The  name  of  James  G.  Leach  first  appears  in  the 
Minutes  in  1810.  After  traveling  a  few  months  he 
retired  voluntarily  from  the  itinerant  ranks,  but  re- 
entered the  same  in  1815,  and  labored  in  this  service 
until  1828,  when  he  located.* 

William  S.  Evans  became  a  traveling  preacher  in 
*  For  a  sketch,  see  "Methodism  in  Kentucky." 


170  Western    Cavaliers. 

1830.  His  appointments  were  the  Livingston,  Chris- 
tian, Big  Sandy,  and  Logan  Circuits,  Hopkinsville 
Station,  and  Bowling  Green  Circuit.  After  his 
location  he  settled  in  Logan  county,  where,  by  his 
exemplary  life  and  earnest  zeal,  he  did  much  good. 
At  a  later  period  he  reentered  the  Conference,  but, 
after  preaching  a  few  years,  again  located. 

John  Redman  commenced  his  career  as  a  travel- 
ing preacher  on  the  Livingston  Circuit,  in  1826. 
His  subsequent  fields  of  labor  were  the  Liberty, 
Yellow  Banks,  Logan  and  Gasper,  Christian,  Green- 
ville, Bowling  Green,  and  Hartford  Circuits.  As  a 
preacher  he  did  much  good. 

Herrington  Stevens  was  admitted  on  trial  in  1832. 
His  first  appointment  was  to  the  Logan  Circuit, 
after  which  he  traveled  the  Bowling  Green  and  the 
Livingston  Circuits.  In  1835  he  was  placed  on  the 
superannuated  list,  and  located  at  the  Conference  of 
1836.  He  settled  in  Livingston  county,  where  he 
practiced  medicine,  and  preached  as  often  as  his 
health  would  allow.  He  was  a  good  man  and  useful 
preacher. 

Henry  S.  Duke,  the  Presiding  Elder  on  the  Lex- 
ington District,  and  John  Littlejohn*  died  during 
the  year  which  had  just  closed.  By  a  resolution  of 
the  Conference,  Mr.  Bascom  was  requested  to  preach 
a  sermon  in  memory  of  these  ministers.  One  of 
them  had  fallen  from  the  walls  of  Zion  in  the  midst 
of  a  career  of  usefulness  and  success,  and  before  he 
had  reached  the  meridian  of  life;  the  other  had  been 

*  For  sketches  of  these  ministers,  the  reader  is  referred  to 
the  "History  of  Methodism  in  Kentucky." 


Western   Cavaliers.  171 

identified  with  the  Methodist  ministry  since  1777. 
Both  were  good  and  true  men,  and  passed  away  in 
holy  triumph. 

The  death  of  William  Phillips  had  also  occurred 
since  the  previous  Conference.  He  joined  the  min- 
istry, in  Kentucky,  in  1831,  and  had  risen  rapidly  to 
eminence  and  distinction.  By  the  General  Confer- 
ence of  1836,  while  stationed  at  Newport  and  Cov- 
ington, he  was  elected  one  of  the  editors  of  the 
Western  Christian  Advocate.  Hardly  had  he  entered 
upon  the  duties  of  his  office  when  God  called  him. 
He  died  August  4,  1836.* 

The  question,  "What  amounts  are  necessary  for 
the  superannuated  preachers,  and  the  widows  and 
orphans  of  preachers,  and  to  make  up  the  deficien- 
cies of  those  who  have  not  obtained  their  regular 
allowance  on  the  circuits?"  was  asked,  and  the  an- 
swer given  was  "$6,10,9.97."  For  the  purposes 
stated  the  following  amounts  were  collected:  From 
circuits  and  stations,  $864.45;  Book  Concern,  $400; 
Chartered  Fund,  $75;  collection  at  Conference, 
$33.50;  total,  $1,372.95.  From  this  amount  the 
Bishops  were  paid  $77.50;  the  remainder  was  ap- 
plied as  the  question  indicates.  For  missions  there 
was  collected  $1,492.02.  For  the  benefit  of  the 
Book  Concern  $237.58  was  collected  —  of  which 
amount  the  Church  in  Shelby ville  contributed  $170, 
Christian  Circuit  $20,  and  Shelby  Circuit  $47.58. 

During  the  two  years  preceding  the  Conference  of 
1836  the  Lexington  District  had  lost  two  Presiding 

*  A  sketch  of  William  Phillips  maybe  found  in  the  "His- 
tory of  Methodism  in  Kentucky." 


172  Western   Cavaliers. 

Elders — Adams  and  Duke.  The  name  of  Richard 
Tydiugs  appears  in  the  Lexington  District,  as  the 
successor  of  Duke.  Jonathan  Stamper  was  re- 
turned to  the  Augusta  District,  and  John  James  to 
the  Harrodsburg.  William  Gunn,  Isaac  Collard, 
Thomas  Lasley,  and  Thomas  W.  Chandler  occupy 
the  same  fields  they  had  cultivated  the  previous 
year. 

During  the  session  of  the  Conference  frequent  in- 
terviews were  held  between  the  members  on  the 
subject  of  the  losses  sustained  in  the  membership  of 
the  Church  during  the  previous  two  years.  While 
the  causes  that  we  have  assigned  were  accepted  as 
the  reasons  for  the  decrease,  yet  not  a  single  cavalier 
felt  willing  that  a  similar  decline  should  mark  the 
annals  of  another  year.  Buckling  on  their  armor 
afresh,  they  more  determinately  resolved  to  push  the 
battle  to  the  gates  of  the  enemy,  and,  through  their 
Captain,  to  conquer  or  perish  in  the  struggle.  Thus 
nobly  impelled,  each  warrior  marched  to  his  new 
field  of  duty. 

Edward  Stevenson  was  returned  to  the  city  of 
Lexington,  where  he  had  labored  the  previous  year 
under  discouragements  which  well-nigh  dampened 
his  ardor.  In  every  other  charge  in  this  District  the 
pastor  was  changed. 

In  the  Augusta  District,  Stephen  Harber,  who  had 
been  appointed  as  a  supernumerary  on  the  Lewis 
Circuit  the  year  before,  is  reappointed  to  this  work, 
in  an  effective  relation. 

In  the  Harrodsburg  District,  Robinson  E.  Sidebot- 
tom  was  returned  to  the  Danville  Circuit  as  junior 


Western   Cavaliers.  173 

preacher — the  position  he  held  during  the  former 
campaign. 

William  Holman,  in  the  Louisville  District,  is 
again  sent  to  Louisville,  while  Ahsalom  D.  Fox  still 
travels  the  Jefferson  Circuit. 

In  the  Hopkinsville  District  no  preacher  was  re- 
turned to  his  former  appointment;  while,  in  the 
Greensburg  District,  James  King  was  again  sent  to 
Columbia. 

Solomon  Pope,  in  the  Barboursville  District,  was 
reappointed  to  the  Mount  Pleasant  Mission. 

Several  new  Circuits  appear  in  the  list  of  appoint- 
ments. The  Cynthiana  Station,  which  had  been 
thrown  into  the  Circuit,  is  restored  as  a  separate 
charge,  in  the  Lexington  District;  while,  in  the  Au- 
gusta District,  the  Minerva  Circuit  appears  for  the 
first  time.  In  the  Harroclsburg  District,  Ebenezer 
and  Athens  is  made  an  independent  charge,  Bowling 
Green  disconnected  from  the  circuit  and  made  a 
station;  while,  at  the  same  time,  the  Hopkinsville 
Station  again  falls  into  the  Hopkinsville  Circuit. 
The  La  Fayette  and  Princeton  Circuits,  in  the  same 
District,  appear  in  the  Minutes,  while  the  name  of 
the  Henderson  Circuit  is  lost  in  that  of  Morganfield. 
No  change  occurs  in  the  Greensburg  District.  In 
the  Barboursville  District,  the  change  is  the  addition 
of  Paintville  to  Prestonsburg,  and  the  formation  of 
the  Louisa  Circuit. 

Near  the  close  of  the  Conference-session  Mr.  Bas- 
com  offered  a  resolution  to  "  observe  the  Friday  be- 
fore the  25th  of  December  as  a  day  of  fasting  and 
prayer  for  the  prosperity  of  the  Church,"  and  the 


174  Western    Cavaliers. 

preachers  were  requested  to  invite  the  membership 
to  unite  with  them  in  this  service. 

The  Conference  closed,  and  without  any  unneces- 
sary delay  the  preachers  were  at  their  posts.  During 
the  winter  an  apathy  pervaded  the  Church  through- 
out the  State,  and  under  able  sermons  and  powerful 
appeals  the  people  seemed  unmoved.  The  autumn 
passed,  the  cold  months  of  winter  followed,  and  were 
just  dying  away,  when  a  note  of  triumph  was  heard 
on  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  Ohio.  Martin  L.  Eacls 
and  George  S.  Savage — the  former  in  his  eighth 
year  in  the  itinerant  ministry,  and  the  latter  a  young 
and  zealous  preacher  in  his  second  year — had  been 
sent  to  the  Minerva  Circuit,  in  the  Augusta  District, 
which  embraced  the  village  of  Dover.  Early  in 
February  the  Church  at  that  point  was  blessed  with 
seventy  additions  to  the  membership,  and  about  the 
same  number  were  converted. 

In  the  Greensburg  District,  during  the  following 
month,  the  Church  in  Barclstown — which  enjoyed 
the  ministry  of  Hubbard  H.  Kavanaugh,  the  faith- 
ful pastor — was  greatly  blessed.  Under  Mr.  Kava- 
naugh's  preaching  a  gracious  revival  began,  and  it 
swept  through  the  community,  reaching  the  Presby- 
terian Church,  which  was  blessed  equally  with  his 
own.  Seventy  persons  professed  religion,  thirty-five 
joining  the  Methodist  Church  and  the  same  number 
the  Presbyterian. 

Returning  to  the  Augusta  District,  in  April  the 
town  of  Washington — an  appointment  in  the  Ger- 
mantown  Circuit — was  favored  witli  a  revival  of 
religion.     The  meeting  continued  for  two  weeks, 


W  E  S  T  E  R  N     C  A  V  A  1  s  ERS.  175 

under  the  supervision  of  Joseph  Marsee  and  William 
M.  Grubbs,  both  of  whom  were  useful  and  zealous. 
The  interest  of  the  occasion  was  greatly  augmented 
by  the  presence  of  John  Collins,  a  veteran,  who 
preached  and  labored  during  the  meeting.  About 
fifty  professed  religion. 

While  the  revival  was  in  progress  in  Washing- 
ton, a  note  of  triumph  was  again  heard  from  the 
Greensburg  District,  In  the  Wayne  Circuit,  under 
the  faithful  labors  of  Elijah  M.  Bosley  and  William 
B.  Maxey,  twenty  persons  were  converted,  and  the 
work  of  grace  was  spreading  all  over  their  extensive 
circuit, 

In  the  month  of  May  the  work  commenced  in  the 
Madison  Circuit,  in  the  Harrodsburg  District,  whose 
preachers  were  Absalom  Woolliscroft  and  George  S. 
Gate  wood,  both  of  whom  were  styled  revivalists, 
and  more  than  one  hundred  persons  were  happily 
converted  to  God. 

In  the  village  of  Campbellsville,  in  the  Greens- 
burg District,  under  the  ministry  of  Matthew  N". 
Lasley,  a  good  and  true  man,  seventy-three  persons 
"  passed  from  death  unto  life,"  about  the  same  time 
that  Woolliscroft  and  Gatewood  were  rejoicing  over 
the  trophies  they  had  won  to  their  Master's  cause. 
In  the  Greensburg  Circuit — where  the  plain  and 
unostentatious  George  W.  Taylor  had  charge — in  a 
neighorhood  five  miles  from  Greensburg,  at  a  single 
meeting,  in  the  month  of  July,  forty  persons  re- 
ceived "the  peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  under- 
standing." At  this  meeting  James  King,  a  true 
evangelist,   and   Stephen   Rogers,  a  faithful   local 


176  Western    Cavaliers. 

preacher,   were   present,    and  labored  shoulder   to 
shoulder  with  the  pious  pastor. 

About  this  time  a  remarkable  man  appeared  in 
Kentucky;  he  was  an  Irishman  by  birth.  John 
JsTewland  Maffitt  was  born  in  the  city  of  Dublin,  Ire- 
land, December  28, 1794.  His  father  was  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Society,  and  endeavored  to  impress 
upon  his  son  the  principles  of  true  religion.  Death, 
however,  deprived  him  of  his  paternal  parent,  leav- 
ing him  in  childhood  to  the  sole  guidance  of  his 
mother,  who  was  a  member  of  another  Communion. 
Frivolous  and  gay,  he  passed  through  his  youth 
forgetful  of  the  instructions  of  his  sainted  father 
and  the  oft-given  advice  of  his  mother,  engaging  in 
every  species  of  amusement  where  God  and  heaven 
are  forgotten. 

At  the  age  of  nineteen  he  was  arrested  by  the 
Holy  Spirit,  was  powerfully  awakened  to  a  sense  of 
his  condition  as  a  sinner  before  God,  and,  deeply 
penitent,  pleaded  for  mercy,  poising  between  hope 
and  despair.  The  struggle  was  severe,  and  was  pro- 
tracted through  several  days  and  nights;  but  the 
joy  that  succeeded  was  "unspeakable  and  full  of 
glory."  From  his  early  childhood  he  had  enter- 
tained the  impression  that  he  would  be  a  preacher; 
yet  after  his  conversion  we  see  him  reluctant  to 
yield  to  the  conviction  of  his  heart,  or  to  listen  to  the 
voice  which  appealed  to  his  conscience:  "Woe  is 
unto  me,  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel!"  Only  a  few 
weeks  elapse,  however,  until  we  find  him  praying 
in  public,  exhorting  sinners  to  repent,  and  making 
an  appointment  to  preach,  but  failed  in  the  attempt. 


Western   Cavaliers.  177 

Discouraged  and  depressed,  he  resolved  to  abandon 
all  thought  of  the  pulpit,  when  a  revival  in  the  city 
of  Dublin,  under  the  ministry  of  a  soldier-preacher, 
opened  the  way  for  him  to  exercise  his  gifts;  and  we 
soon  behold  him  offering  hope  to  the  despairing, 
salvation  to  the  lost,  and  life  to  the  dead.  From 
time  to  time,  without  official  authority  from  the 
Church,  he  continued  to  preach  the  unsearchable 
riches  of  Christ.  His  earnest  appeals  arrested  the 
ungodly,  aroused  the  Church,  and  brought  much 
fruitage  to  his  Master.  Ungenerous  criticism  and 
opposition  determined  him  again  to  decline  a  work 
to  which  he  believed  himself  to  be  divinely  called, 
when  Arthur  Noble,  the  friend  aud  colleague  of 
Gideon  Ouseley,  the  famous  Irish  missionary,  in- 
vited him  to  meet  him  in  Bally  men  a,  and  travel 
with  him  on  his  missionary  route.  Handsome  iii 
person,  graceful  in  his  manners,  tender  in  his  ad- 
dress, and  endowed  with  a  powerful  and  persuasive 
eloquence,  he  soon  occupied  a  place  in  the  popular 
thought  that  could  be  claimed  perhaps  by  no  man 
of  his  age  in  the  Emerald  Isle. 

Early  in  life  he  was  married  to  a  young  and  very 
beautiful  girl,  who  joined  her  influence  with  that  of 
his  mother  to  dissuade  him  from  being  a  preacher. 
Added  to  this,  pecuniary  misfortunes  overtook  him, 
and  determined  him  to  emigrate  to  America.  On 
the  21st  of  April,  1819,  he  landed  in  the  city  of  New 
York,  being  in  the  twenty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

In  1822  he  offered  himself  as  an  itinerant  preacher 
to  the  New  England  Conference,  and  was  admitted 
on  trial.  His  first  appointment  was  with  the  cele- 
8* 


178  Western   Cavaliers. 

brated  George  Pickering,  as  a  Conference  mission- 
ary. In  1823  he  was  appointed  to  Fairhaven  and 
New  Bedford,  and  the  following  year  he  was  the 
junior  preacher  on  the  Barnstable  Circuit.  In  1825 
he  was  stationed  in  Dover,  and  in  1826  in  Dover 
and  Somersworth.  At  the  Conference  of  1827  he 
was  sent  to  the  city  of  Boston,  and  in  1828  to  Ports- 
mouth, where  he  continued  for  two  years.  In  1830 
he  was  returned  to  the  city  of  Boston,  and  the  fol- 
lowing year  was  left  without  an  appointment,  to 
give  him  the  opportunity  of  settling  his  temporal 
affairs,  which  had  become  somewhat  embarrassed. 
In  1832  he  located. 

During  the  ten  years  that  Mr.  Maffitt  traveled  as 
a  preacher  he  performed  the  duties  of  an  itinerant 
with  energy  and  zeal,  and  in  the  several  fields  he 
occupied  success  crowned  his  labors.  Whether  as  a 
missionary,  carrying  the  tidings  of  a  Redeemer's 
love  to  the  poor  and  the  humble  throughout  the 
New  England  Conference,  or  lifting  the  standard  of 
the  cross  in  the  rural  districts,  or  unfurling  its  crim- 
soned banner  in  the  capital  of  Massachusetts,  we 
find  him  not  only  faithful,  but  beloved  by  the  people 
he  served,  and  everywhere  gathering  stars  to  deck 
the  crown  of  his  rejoicing  in  the  hereafter. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Mr.  Mafiitt  turned  away 
from  the  itinerant  work,  to  which  he  was  so  well 
adapted;  yet  it  is  cause  for  gratitude  that,  in  retir- 
ing to  the  local  ranks,  he  lost  none  of  the  fire  that 
had  so  often  flashed  from  his  eye  as  he  presented 
the  glories  of  the  cross,  nor  the  zeal  that  had  dis- 
tinguished him  as  an  itinerant  preacher,  nor  an  iota 


Western    Cavaliers.  179 

of  the  purpose  he  had  formed  to  devote  his  energies 
and  his  life  to  the  service  of  the  Church. 

In  1833,  in  connection  with  Lewis  Garrett,  he 
issued,  in  the  city  of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  the  first 
number  of  the  Western  Methodist,  a  religious  weekly 
paper,  which  from  that  period  has  continued  under 
various  names,  as  the  South-western  Christian  Ad- 
vocate, Nashville  Christian  Advocate,  Nashville  and 
Louisville  Christian  Advocate,  and  is  at  present  the 
Christian  Advocate,  the  central  organ  of  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  South. 

His  fame  had  preceded  him  to  the  West,  and 
wherever  he  preached  vast  assemblies  thronged  to 
hear  him,  eager  to  catch  the  words  of  life  as  they 
fell  from  his  lips.  As  an  orator  he  had  taken  rank 
with  the  first  preachers  of  the  age,  and  in  the  hori- 
zon of  public  esteem  occupied  a  commanding  em- 
inence. It  was  not  merely  the  fire  that  lit  his  eye, 
nor  the  flashes  of  genius  that  sparkled  through  every 
portion  of  his  mighty  appeals,  nor  his  lofty  nights 
of  oratory,  that  won  for  him  a  reputation  and  a 
name  scarcely  equaled  in  the  history  of  the  pulpit: 
it  was  the  burning  zeal  that  was  consuming  him ; 
it  was  his  fervent  piety;  and,  above  all,  it  was  the 
brilliant  success,  which  threw  its  full-orbed  light 
along  his  path.  Thousands  came  to  hear  him,  and 
thousands,  through  his  instrumentality,  were  con- 
verted to  God  and  added  to  the  Church. 

In  the  autumn  of  1833  he  entered  the  Tennessee 
Conference,  and,  with  Littleton  Fowler  as  his  col- 
league, was  appointed  Agent  for  La  Grange  College, 
of  which  Robert  Paine  was  President.     In  1834  he 


180  Western   Cavaliers. 

was  elected  to  the  chair  of  Elocution  in  that  col- 
lege, which  position  he  occupied  for  two  years.  At 
the  session  of  the  Tennessee  Conference  of  1836  he 
requested  and  obtained  a  location,  and  never  after- 
ward reentered  the  itinerant  field.  His  mode  of 
warfare  in  the  ministry  was  that  of  a  guerrilla — 
outside  the  regular  method  employed  by  the  itin- 
erant preachers. 

It  was  in  the  summer  of  1837  that  Mr.  Maffitt 
made  his  appearance  in  Kentucky.  His  earliest 
trophies  in  the  State  were  won  in  the  village  of  Glas- 
gow. Passing  on  to  the  city  of  Lexington,  which  he 
pronounces  "  one  of  the  most  beautiful  cities  west  of 
the  mountains,"  he  entered  at  once  upon  the  great 
business  of  his  life.  Edward  Stevenson  was  the 
pastor.  The  stay  of  Mr.  Maffitt  in  Lexington  was 
protracted  upward  of  two  months,  during  which 
time  he  preached  almost  every  clay  and  night.  On 
his  first  appearance  in  the  pulpit,  in  that  city,  every 
pew  in  the  Church  was  filled,  the  aisles  were  crowded 
to  their  utmost  capacity,. and  the  occasion  was  dis- 
tinguished by  a  quickened  religious  interest  in  the 
popular  mind.  On  the  corners  of  the  streets,  in  the 
marts  of  trade,  in  places  of  business,  the  fame  of 
the  preacher  was  on  every  lip,  while  many  were 
anxiously  inquiring  the  way  of  life  and  salvation. 
The  city  press  teemed  with  his  praise,  and  the  entire 
community  listened  to  his  earnest  sermons,  coming 
from  his  great,  warm,  Irish  heart.  From  the  very 
commencement  the  interest  increased,  and  during 
his  protracted  stay  in  the  city  there  was  no  abate- 
ment.    Bishop  Morris  was  present,  and  pleached  a 


Western   Cavaliers.  181 

few  sermons;  but  the  public  eye  was  turned  to  Mr. 
Maffitt,  who  bad  won  so  largely  upon  the  hearts  of 
the  people.  In  the  Western  Christian  Advocate,  of 
August  18,  Mr.  Stevenson  writes:  "Eighty -four  per- 
sons have  been  converted,  and,  our  meeting  is  still  in 
progress.''  At  a  later  period  Mr.  Maffitt  writes  to 
Mr.  Stringfield,  editor  of  the  South-western  Christian 
Advocate:  "About  one  hundred  and  sixty,  as  nearly  as 
I  can  remember,  were  the  fruits  of  the  revival  in 
Lexington,  and  over  one  hundred  and  thirty  became 
members  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  most  of  whom,  if 
not  all,  were,  in  the  judgment  of  charity,  soundly 
converted  to  God.  May  we  all  be  so  happy  as  to 
meet  one  another  around  the  burning  throne,  to 
dwell  with  God  and  the  holy  angels,  in  sweet  com- 
panionship, forever ! "  * 

The  preaching  of  Mr.  Maffitt  was  peculiar,  and 
difficult  to  describe.  We  have  heard  ministers  who 
were  more  profound  in  research  and  more  logical 
in  argument  than  he  was;  but  we  have  seldom,  in- 
deed, listened  to  any  one  who  excelled  in  so  many 
departments  of  ministerial  work  as  did  John  JSTew- 
land  Maffitt.  We  have  heard  him  when  his  voice 
was  persuasive  and  soft  as  the  harp  of  JEolus,  and 
we  have  sat  beneath  his  ministry  when  like  thun- 
derbolts it  fell  upon  the  ear.  His  prototype  was  the 
great  apostle  of  the  Gentiles,  whose  life  and  charac- 
ter he  loved  to  portray.  Of  St.  Paul  he  presented 
the  following  beautiful  portrait: 

"As  he  bad  received  his  commission  direct  from 
heaven,  he  counted  all  worldly  honor  but  dross  when 
*  South-western  Christian  Advocate,  January  25,  1838. 


182  Western    Cavaliers. 

compared  to  the  excellency  of  the  sacred  treasure 
given  him  by  the  Lord  Jesus.  The  glittering  charms 
of  time  and  sense  he  despised,  rejecting,  like  holy 
Moses,  the  splendid  trophies  of  aspiring  fame.  It 
was  the  excellency  of  the  religion  of  Jesus,  disclosed 
to  his  mind  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  that 
won  his  great  soul,  and  spurred  him  on  to  victory 
and  conquest. 

"He  therefore  laid  aside  every  weight  and  hin- 
derance  that  might  encumber  him  in  his  arduous 
work,  suffered  himself  to  be  stripped  for  the  race 
and  harnessed  for  the  battle,  and,  girding  up  his 
loins,  resolved,  in  the  strength  of  Israel's  God,  to 
tread  in  the  footsteps  of  that  same  Jesns  he  once 
persecuted  to  death  in  the  person  of  his  followers. 
Throwing  himself  on  the  resources  of  his  own  mind, 
buoyed  up  by  the  spirit  of  the  holy  prophets,  which 
had  fallen  on  him  at  his  first  introduction  to  the 
holy  office,  he  moved  forward  through  dansrer  and 
suffering,  not  anxious  to  avoid  either  if  in  the  path 
of  duty,  tampering  not  with  sin,  nor  trimming  be- 
tween God  and  the  world  for  gain  or  ease. 

"He  expressed  cheerfulness  and  joy  under  suffer- 
ing. '  We  are  troubled,'  says  he,  '  on  every  side,  yet 
not  distressed;  we  are  perplexed,  but  not  in  despair; 
persecuted,  but  not  forsaken;  cast  down,  but  not 
destroyed.'  'I  take  pleasure  in  infirmities,  in  re- 
proaches, in  necessities,  in  persecutions,  in  distresses 
for  Christ's  sake.'  His  language  at  Ephesus,  on 
taking  leave  of  his  brethren,  was  expressive  of  the 
elevated  state  of  his  mind:  'And  now,  behold,  I  go 
bound  in  the  spirit  unto  Jerusalem,  not  knowing 


Western   Cavaliers.  183 

the  things  that  shall  befall  me  there:  save  that  the 
Holy  Ghost  witnesseth  in  every  city,  saying  that 
bonds  and  afflictions  abide  me.  Bnt  none  of  these 
things  move  me,  neither  count  I  my  life  dear  unto 
myself,  so  that  I  might  finish  my  course  with  joy.' 
And  when  passing  through  Cesarea  he  appeared  in 
the  same  interesting  light.  '  What  mean  ye,'  says 
he,  <  to  weep  and  to  break  mine  heart?  for  I  am  ready 
not  to  be  bound  only,  but  also  to  die  at  Jerusalem 
for  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus.' 

"He  was  gloriously  successful  to  the  end  of  his  course, 
because  the  hand  of  the  Lord  ivas  with  him.  This  is 
evident  from  the  repeated  assurances  which  God 
gave  of  almighty  strength,  support,  and  guidance. 
In  visions  of  the  night  angels  appeared  to  strengthen 
his  mind  against  the  assaults  of  every  enemy,  bid- 
ding him  be  of  good  cheer.  The  divine  agency 
rendered  him  invincible,  as  well  as  patient  and  re- 
signed, under  suffering,  strengthened  with  all  might 
by  the  Spirit  in  the  inner  man.  What  or  whom 
should  he  fear? 

"  For  he  had  wings  that  neither  sickness,  pain, 
Nor  penury  could  cripple  or  confine; 
No  nook  so  narrow  but  he  spread  them  there 
With  ease  and  was  at  large.     The  oppressor  held 
His  body  bound,  but  knew  not  what  a  range 
His  spirit  took,  unconscious  of  a  chain, 
And  that  to  bind  him  was  a  vain  attempt, 
Whom  Heaven  approved. 

"He  was  gloriously  successful  to  the  end  of  his  course. 
The  arm  of  God  was  stretched  out  in  his  behalf,  and 
signs  and  wonders  were  wrought  by  his  word.     For 


184  Western   Cavaliers. 

upward  of  thirty  years  lie  had  labored  incessantly  in 
the  Lord's  vineyard,  extending  the  savor  of  divine 
love  to  every  spot  he  visited,  or  to  which  he  sent 
his  writings — encompassing  sea  and  land,  traveling 
over  a  vast  portion  of  the  then  known  world,  and 
extending  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  from  the  east  to 
the  uttermost  hounds  of  the  west.  He  marched 
forth  into  the  thickest  ranks  of  the  enemy,  vexing 
them  with  his  incursions.  Equipped  with  armor  of 
divine  proof,  his  only  weapon  the  word  of  God, 
which  is  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  he  rushed  on  his 
most  puissant  foes,  assaulting  them  in  all  their 
strongholds.  As  he  advanced,  the  temples  of  the 
gods  were  forsaken,  the  walls  of  superstition  tot- 
tered, and  the  spreading  glories  of  the  cross  illu- 
mined the  palaces  of  kings.  His  weapon  prevailed 
against  the  potentates  of  the  earth,  the  wisdom  of 
the  greatest  philosophers,  and  on  the  ruins  of  bar- 
baric pride  and  pontine  luxury  he  placed  the  simple 
majesty  of  the  religion  of  the  Galilean  peasant. 

"Behold  this  champion  of  the  cross,  after  he  had 
fought  a  good  fight !  See  him  coming  in  at  the  close 
of  the  glorious  warfare.  With  what  calmness  and 
grandeur  he  looks  down  upon  suffering  and  death! 
Truly  they  move  him  not.  The  cross  glitters  on 
his  bosom ;  his  hand  firmly  grasps  the  sword  of  the 
Lord;  a  halo  of  glory  encircles  his  brow;  the  sun- 
shine of  eternity  gleams  upon  his  countenance. 

" Happy  Paul!  thy  sun  is  going  clown  in  bright- 
ness, growing  larger  as  it  sinks,  like  that  luminary, 
throwing  its  golden  splendors  far  and  wide  over 
distant  lands  when  itself  is  no  longer  visible  to  the 


Western   Cavaliers.  185 

eye.  Thus  departed  this  prince  of  apostles  from 
the  field  of  missionary  enterprise,  crowned  with  the 
laurels  of  victory  and  glory,  to  reap  an  eternal  re- 
ward in  the  Church  triumphant  above." 

If  Mr.  Maffitt  spoke  of  the  temptation  in  Paradise, 
you  would  imagine  yourself  in  the  garden  of  Eden, 
surrounded  with  all  its  charms,  or  reposing  amid  its 
flowers,  where  all  was  joy,  and  innocence,  and  love, 
listening  to  strains  of  gratitude  and  praise  breaking 
forth  from  hearts  pure  and  holy;  you  would  see  the 
tempter  insidiously  entering  this  delightful  retreat, 
and  hear  his  siren  voice  as  he  reasoned  with  the 
woman,  guileless  and  beautiful,  and  fresh  from  the 
creative  touch  of  the  almighty  hand;  you  would 
feel  the  increasing  danger  to  which  she  was  exposed, 
as  the  coils  of  the  serpent  were  gradually  fastening 
upon  her,  until  the  triumph  of  the  enemy  was  com- 
plete, and  all  was  lost.  If  the  redemption  of  the 
world  was  his  theme,  he  would  carry  you  to  the  lofty 
mount  of  prophecy,  and  then  bid  you  accompany 
him  down  the  corridors  of  time,  leaving  generations 
behind  you,  to  the  period  when  angels  announced  to 
the  astonished  shepherds  on  Bethlehem's  star-lit 
plains  the  birth  of  the  Son  of  God;  with  Simeon, 
you  would  take  the  Babe  in  your  arms,  and  watch 
the  Nazarene  as  he  passed  from  infancy  to  youth, 
and  from  youth  to  manhood;  the  entrance  of  Christ 
upon  his  public  ministry  would  take  place  in  your 
presence,  and  you  would  see  him  at  his  baptism, 
when  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  likeness  of  a  dove  de- 
scended and  abode  upon  him;  you  would  follow 
him,  while  here  and  there  he  gathered  a  solitary 


186  Western   Cavaliers. 

disciple,  and  be  entranced  by  the  strange  doctrines 
he  preached  in  his  Sermon  on  the  Mount;  you  would 
mingle  with  the  astonished  multitudes  while  the 
blind  were  beins:  restored  to  siffht,  the  deaf  to  hear- 
frig,  the  dumb  to  speech,  and  would  see  the  leper, 
scorned  and  hated,  and  exiled  from  society,  cleansed, 
and  again  received  into  its  bosom;  in  your  presence 
the  lame  man  would  throw  away  his  crutch,  and 
leap  for  joy;  and  the  tear  would  be  wiped  from  the 
cheek  of  sorrow  as  Jairus  received  his  daughter 
again  to  life,  as  the  son  of  the  widow  of  Kain  was 
restored  to  his  mother,  and  as  Lazarus  returned 
from  the  grave  where  he  had  been  buried  to  his 
sisters  at  Bethany.  If  he  describes  the  crucifixion, 
you  stand  by  the  cross,  and  see  the  nails  as  they 
pierce  his  hands  and  feet;  you  are  touched  with  the 
compassion  that  floats  in  the  dim  and  languid  eyes 
of  the  illustrious  Sufferer,  and  are  startled  as  the 
words  of  agony,  "  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast  thou 
forsaken  me?"  fall  from  his  expiring  lips;  the 
heavens  are  shrouded  in  blackness,  fierce  lightnings 
leap  from  cloud  to  cloud,  and  thunders  peal  their 
notes  of  sorrow,  as  the  God-man  cries, "  It  is  fin- 
ished!" If  the  resurrection  of  Christ  is  the  topic 
on  which  he  preaches,  the  descending  angel,  the 
alarmed  chivalry  of  the  Roman  army,  the  risen 
Lord,  stand  out  with  prominence;  and  if  the  subject 
is  the  ascension  of  the  Redeemer,  your  eye  follows 
the  falling  cloud  until  it  rests  on  the  side  of  Olivet; 
you  behold  the  Saviour  as  he  steps  upon  it,  and 
then  you  watch  it  as  it  ascends  higher  and  higher, 
until  it  is  lost  to  sight  in  the  immeasurable  distance, 


Western    Cavaliers.  187 

and  still  your  eye  lingers  in  that  direction  until  you 
hear  the  joyous  acclaim:  "Lift  up  your  heads,  O 
ye  gates;  and  be  ye  lifted  up,  ye  everlasting  doors; 
and  the  King  of  glory  shall  come  in."  Then  a  hush 
like  the  stillness  of  the  sepulcher  passes  over  the 
audience,  lasting  but  for  a  moment,  when  once  more 
from  the  celestial  parapets  a  voice  is  heard,  "Who 
is  this  King  of  glory?"  The  reply  rolls  back  to 
heaven:  "The  Lord  strong  and  mighty,  the  Lord 
mighty  in  battle.  Lift  up  your  heads,  0  ye  gates; 
even  lift  them  up,  ye  everlasting  doors;  and  the 
King  of  glory  shall  come  in."  Then  he  passes 
through  the  portals. 

We  have  heard  him  describe  the  horrors  of  the 
damned  until  we  almost  gazed  upon  the  burning 
flame,  and  seemed  to  listen  to  the  rattling  of  the 
chains  of  the  lost,  and  hear  their  groans  of  anguish, 
and  see  them  as  they  writhed  in  their  agony  and 
woe.  We  have  listened  to  him  as  he  spoke  of 
heaven  and  portrayed  its  joys,  until  the  jeweled 
gates  rolled  back,  and  walls  of  jasper  and  streets  of 
burnished  gold  met  our  vision,  and  an  innumerable 
multitude,  with  palms  and  crowns,  were  reposing 
beneath  the  boughs  of  the  tree  of  life,  or  wandering 
along  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  river  that  makes 
glad  the  city  of  God;  and  we  seemed  to  hear  their 
songs  of  victory  and  shouts  of  triumph,  as  they  ex- 
claimed: "Unto  him  that  loved  us,  and  washed  us 
from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood,  and  hath  made  us 
kings  and  priests  unto  God  and  his  Father;  to  him 
be  glory  and  dominion  forever  and  ever." 

We  heard  him  once  as  he  talked  of  the  Judgment, 


188  Western   Cavaliers. 

and  the  scenes  of  the  last  day  appeared  full  in  view: 
the  heavens,  black  with  angry  clouds,  canopied  the 
world;  the  lightnings  flashed  along  the  sky;  thun- 
ders pealed  forth  in  every  direction,  till  distant 
worlds  reechoed  the  direful  clangor  of  the  last  ago- 
nies of  dissolving  nature.  Then  he  cried:  "Behold 
a  rising  world,  and  see  demons  and  spirits  damned 
coming  up  from  realms  of  blackest  night,  and  see 
the  Judge  coming  down  the  vaulted  sky,  attended 
by  all  the  hosts  of  heaven,  and  all  the  redeemed 
from  earth  who  had  entered  upon  eternal  life.  See 
him,  as  he  comes!"  The  vast  assembly  that  sat  be- 
fore him  with  one  accord  rose  from  their  seats  and 
looked  upward,  expecting  to  behold  Him  who  would 
judge  the  world,  with  all  his  shining  retinue  sur- 
rounding him. 

We  repeat,  we  have  heard  preachers  who  in  some 
respects  excelled  Mr.  Maffitt,  but  we  have  never  met 
with  one  who  exercised  such  power  over  an  audience 
as  he  did. 

From  Lexington  we  follow  him  to  Danville,  where, 
about  the  1st  of  September,  he  commenced  a  series 
of  meetings.  As  in  Lexington,  he  preached  to 
crowded  audiences,  day  and  night,  for  several  weeks. 
Under  his  ministry  the  Church  was  revived,  back- 
sliders were  reclaimed,  and  sinners  awakened  and 
converted  to  God.  The  gospel  preached  by  him 
was  mighty,  through  God,  to  the  "pulling  down  of 
strongholds;"  it  was  the  "power  of  God  unto  sal- 
vation." Day  after  day  eager  throngs  came  to  the 
house  of  God  to  be  instructed  in  the  way  of  life,  and 
night  after  night  the  altar  was  crowded  with  sin- 


Western   Cavaliers.  189 

core  penitents,  inquiring,  "What  must  we  do  to  be 
saved?"  In  the  pulpit,  in  the  altar,  in  the  social 
circle,  on  the  street,  he  pleaded  the  cause  of  his 
Divine  Master,  and  never  seemed  to  he  weary. 
"God  forbid  that  I  should  glory  save  in  the  cross 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ"  was  the  feeling  which 
animated  and  inspired  him  in  the  grand  and  noble 
work  to  which  he  had  consecrated  his  energies  and 

his  life.  „        , 

From  Danville  we  accompany  him  to  Harrocls- 
burg  where  the  same  results  attended  his  labors. 
Noble  man !  stars  gathered  on  these  fields  deck  thy 
crown  to-day.  At  Danville  mid  Harrodsburg  one 
hundred  and  thirty  joined  the  Methodist  Church, 
under  his  ministry,  while  more  than  that  number 
were  converted. 

We  here  take  leave  of  Mr.  Maflitt,  but  will  soon 
meet  him  in  other  fields,  prosecuting  with  untiring 
energy  his  high  and  holy  calling. 
"   The  name  of  Joseph  D.  Barnett  first  appears  in 
the  Minutes  of  1831,  at  which  time  he  was  admitted 
on  trial  into  the  Kentucky  Conference      He  was 
born  in  Jefferson  county,  Kentucky,  July  21,  1811. 
His  parents  were  worthy  and  pious  members  of  the 
Baptist  Church,  and  they  brought  him  up  in  the 
"  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord."    Under  the 
Methodist    ministry   Mr.   Barnett   was   effectual  y 
awakened  and  soundly  converted  to  God,  when  only 
sixteen  years  of  age.     He  at  once  became  a  member 
of  the  Methodist  Church,  through  whose  instru- 
mentality he  had  been  brought  to  Christ, 

His  first  experience  as  an  itinerant  was  along  the 


190  Western    Cavaliers. 

waters  of  the  Little  Sandy,  as  the  colleague  of  Isaac 
Malone.  In  1832  he  was  appointed  to  the  Big 
Sandy  Circuit,  with  William  S.  Evans  in  charge. 
At  the  Conference  of  1833,  with  Ah  ram  Long  as 
the  senior  preacher,  we  meet  with  him  on  the  Liv- 
ingston Circuit,  in  South-eastern  Kentucky,  and  the 
following  year  we  find  him  in  charge  of  the  Burks- 
ville  Circuit,  with  the  genial  and  warm-hearted 
Matthew  !N".  Lasley  as  his  colleague.  From  the 
Conference  of  1835  we  follow  him  to  the  Wayne 
Circuit,  which  he  travels  alone.  It  will  he  seen  that 
much  of  the  experience  of  young  Barnett,  up  to 
this  period,  had  "been  in  rugged  portions  of  the 
State.  In  all  these  fields  his  ministry  had  heen 
greatly  blessed  in  the  conversion  of  souls.  As  a 
preacher  he  was  plain  and  unostentatious;  but  in 
his  manner  and  style  there  was  a  peculiarity  that 
enabled  him  to  reach  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and 
persuade  them  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  Along  the 
turbid  waters  of  the  Big  Sand}'  and  Little  Sandy,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Ohio  and  Cumberland,  and  amid 
the  hospitable  homes  of  Cumberland  and  Wayne 
counties,  he  had  successfully  borne  the  banner  of 
the  cross,  and  proved  himself  "a  workman  that 
needed  not  to  be  ashamed." 

In  1836,  with  Alanson  C.  Dewitt  as  his  colleague, 
he  was  appointed  to  the  Elizabeth  Circuit,  in  the 
Greensburg  District,  then  embracing  a  large  extent 
of  territory.  On  this  circuit  he  developed  tact  and 
skill,  as  a  field-officer,  for  which  he  had  never  be- 
fore been  distinguished.  If  he  found  a  circuit  in  a 
lukewarm  condition,  through  his  energy,  zeal,  and 


Western    Cavaliers.  191 

management  it  soon  became  quickened  into  life 
Revivals  of  religion  had  crowned  his  labors  in  other 
fields,  and  he  entered  upon  his  work  here,  deter- 
mined to  succeed.  The  circuit  was  soon  in  a  flame 
of  lire.  All  around  it  revivals  of  religion  took  place, 
and  under  the  labors  of  these  faithful  men  hundreds 
were  brought  into  the  Church.* 

About  the  same  time  the  Lebanon  Circuit — in  the 
same  District — was  enjoying  extraordinary  revivals 
of  religion.  Under  the  ministry  of  Matthew  N 
Lasley  hundreds  were  awakened  and  converted, 
many  of  whom  had  been  Roman  Catholics.  One 
hundred  and  fifty  persons  joined  the  Methodist 
Church,  while  the  work  extended  to  other  Com 
munions. 

In  the  Burksville  Circuit,  too,  with  that  noble 
veteran  John  Denham  at  its  head,  the  battle  was 
steadily  pushed  to  the  gate.  Sixty  souls  were  con- 
verted at  a  meeting  in  the  village  of  Edmunton,  and 
eight  in  Burksville,  to  be  stars  in  the  crown  of  his 
rejoicing. 

The  Wayne  Circuit,  in  which  during  the  early 
part  of  the  year  there  had  been  indications  of  good, 
was  greatly  blessed  in  the  summer  and  autumn — ■ 
one  hundred  persons  having  been  added  to  the 
Church. 

We  have  already  alluded  to  the  revival  which  oc- 
curred in  the  town  of  Washington,  an  appointment 
in  the  Germantown  Circuit,  in  the  Augusta  District. 
This  was  only  the  precursor  of  a  general  outpouring 

*Ina  class-meeting,  on  one  occasion,  nineteen  persons  were 
converted. 


192  Western   Cavaliers. 

of  the  Holy  Spirit  throughout  the  circuit.  At  the 
close  of  the  year  two  hundred  additions  to  the 
Church  were  reported.  The  Miuerva  Circuit,  which 
adjoined  the  Germantowu,  also  enjoyed  great  pros- 
perity. 

The  most  extraordinary  meeting  held  during  the 
year  in  this  District  was  a  camp-meeting  in  the 
Carlisle  Circuit,  six  miles  from  the  village  of  Car- 
lisle. Carlisle  Babbit  and  Theophilus  Powell  were 
the  preachers.  The  meeting  commenced  on  the 
25th  of  August.  In  different  portions  of  the  circuit 
showers  of  grace  had  fallen  upon  the  people,  and 
many  had  passed  from  darkness  to  light.  At  the 
camp -meeting,  however,  the  work  was  more  exten- 
sive. On  Monday  night,  after  a  powerful  exhorta- 
tion, more  than  two  hundred  persons  presented 
themselves  at  the  altar,  asking  an  interest  in  the 
prayers  of  the  Church.  The  occasion  was  a  sublime 
one.  The  night  was  calm — its  stillness  broken  only 
by  the  songs  of  Zion,  the  sobs  and  cries  of  penitents, 
and  the  shouts  of  new-born  souls.  Fifty  persons 
were  converted  that  night,  and  nearly  one  hundred 
during  the  meeting. 

In  the  Harrodsburg  District,  in  addition  to  the 
revivals  in  Danville  and  Harrodsburg  to  which  we 
have  alluded,  there  were  revivals  in  the  Mount 
Sterling,  the  Danville,  and  the  Somerset  Circuits. 
The  zealous  James  traveled  over  his  large  District, 
preaching  the  gospel  and  weeping  over  the  people. 
In  the  Mount  Sterling  Circuit  forty  persons,  who 
had  been  strangers  to  God,  became  his  followers; 
while,   under  the  faithful    ministry  of  George   W. 


Western    Cavaliers.  193 

Merritt  and  William  McMahon,  many  more  were 
converted.  The  work  which  began  early  in  this 
year  in  the  Madison  Circuit  continued  to  spread 
until  more  than  three  hundred  souls  passed  into  the 
liberty  of  the  children  of  God.  In  the  town  of 
Richmond,  at  a  single  meeting,  seventy  persons  were 
converted. 

In  the  Louisville  District,  the  Yellow  Banks  and 
Hartford  Circuits  were  both  greatly  blessed — the 
former  under  the  pastoral  charge  of  Richard  Hold- 
ing, and  the  latter  under  that  of  James  D.  Holding. 
The  preachers  were  brothers,  and  useful  ministers 
of  Christ.  Neither  of  them  possessed  talents  of  a 
high  order,  but  both  were  instrumental  in  winning 
many  souls  to  Christ.  Faithful  in  the  discharge  of 
the  duties  devolving  upon  them,  the  Church  pros- 
pered under  their  ministry,  and  many,  through  their 
instrumentality,  were  brought  to  Christ.  In  each  of 
these  circuits  a  camp-meeting  was  held  in  August. 
In  the  Yellow  Banks  Circuit  the  camp-meeting  was 
held  at  Pleasant  Grove,  and  for  the  Hartford  at  Noe 
Creek.  We  were  traveling  with  Mr.  Gunn,  the 
Presiding  Elder,  and  were  present  at  each  of  these 
meetings.  Both  were  times  of  refreshing,  and  many 
were  added  to  the  Church.  At  the  meeting  at 
Pleasant  Grove,  besides  William  Gunn,  the  Presid- 
ing Elder,  there  were  present  James  Gunn,  his 
father — a  local  preacher  from  Tennessee — James  D. 
Holding,  and  John  Daveiss,  John  Pinkstone,  John 
Phipps,  and  Joe  Miller,  who  were  among  the  best 
local  preachers  we  ever  knew.  At  the  meeting  at 
Noe  Creek  Richard  Holding  was  present,  and  the 
9 


194  Western    Cavaliers. 

same  local  preachers,  with  the  exception  of  James 
Gunn. 

In  the  Hopkinsville  District,  the  labors  of  James 
H.  Brooking  and  Edwin  Roberts  resulted  success- 
fully. At  a  meeting  at  Bell's  Chapel  thirty-three 
persons  were  added  to  the  Church,  and  more  than 
twice  that  number  in  the  circuit.  Elijah  Sutton,  in 
charge  of  the  La  Fayette  Circuit,  witnessed,  under 
his  ministry,  a  gracious  revival  of  religion;  while, 
in  the  Madisonville  Circuit,  Alberry  L.  Alderson  and 
Foster  H.  Blades  met  with  extraordinary  success. 
More  than  one  hundred  persons  in  each  of  these 
charges  became  members  of  the  Church. 

Other  fields  of  labor  besides  those  we  have  men- 
tioned shared  in  the  showers  of  grace  which  had 
fallen  on  the  Church  in  Kentucky. 

In  the  Lexington  District,  on  the  Port  William 
and  Falmouth  Circuits,  many  were  converted  and 
brought  into  the  Church.  In  the  Maysville  Dis- 
trict, the  Church  in  Maysville,  under  the  ministry 
of  George  W.  Brush,  enjoyed  great  prosperity.  In 
the  Louisville  District,  in  the  city  of  Louisville, 
there  were  "times  of  refreshing  from  the  presence 
of  the  Lord."  The  Taylorsville  and  Newcastle  Cir- 
cuits were  also  highly  prosperous.  The  Columbia 
Circuit,  in  the  Greensburg  District,  increased  in 
numbers,  in  influence,  and  in  piety.  In  the  mount- 
ain District,  while  there  were  no  extensive  revivals 
at  any  point,  there  was  a  steady  increase  in  nearly 
every  charge. 

The  total  increase  in  the  Kentucky  Conference, 
for  this  year,  was  fourteen  hundred  and  ninety-four  in 


Western    Cavaliers.  195 

the  white  membership,  while  there  was  a  decrease 
of  one  hundred  and  eighty-one  in  the  colored. 

In  Jackson's  Purchase,  we  still  find  Thomas 
Joyner  in  charge  of  the  Paris  District,  while  Mat- 
thew F.  Mitchell  and  Spencer  Waters  are  appointed 
to  the  Hickman  Circuit,  Adam  Goodwin  and  Robert 
W.  Cole  to  the  Wadesboro,  and  Finclley  Bynum  and 
George  W.  Kelso  to  the  Paducah. 

Matthew  F.  Mitchell  and  Spencer  Waters  were 
both  admitted  on  trial  at  the  session  of  the  Tennes- 
see Conference  of  1836,  and,  without  any  experience 
as  itinerant  preachers,  were  sent  to  the  Hickman 
Circuit.  The  Minutes  show  that  they  were  em- 
inently useful.  At  the  close  of  the  year  they  re- 
ported an  increase  of  one  hundred  and  forty-seven 
in  the  white  membership,  and  one  in  the  colored. 
At  the  fourth  quarterly-meeting,  held  near  Feliciana, 
thirty  five  persons  professed  religion. 

Adam  Goodwin  had  entered  the  Conference  in 
1834,  and  was  appointed  to  the  Shoal  Circuit,  in  the 
Florence  District,  as  junior  preacher.  In  1835  we 
find  him  on  Mill  Creek  Circuit,  in  the  Nashville 
District.  When  he  came  to  Kentucky,  in  1836,  he 
brought  with  him  the  experience  of  two  years  in 
the  itinerant  work.  His  colleague,  Robert  W.  Cole, 
had  just  been  admitted  on  trial.  The  report  of  the 
membership  on  the  Wadesboro  Circuit,  at  the  close 
of  the  year,  shows  but  little  increase — five  in  the 
white  and  six  in  the  colored  membership. 

Finclley  Bynum  was  a  North  Carolinian  by  birth, 
having  been  born  in  Chatham  county,  North  Caro- 
lina, May  14, 1814.     In  August,  1830,  he  attended  a 


196  Western   Cavaliers. 

camp-meeting  held  at  Mobley's  Camp-ground,  where 
he  was  awakened  and  soundly  converted  to  God. 
He  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  by  George  TV. 
D.  Harris,  September  13,  1834,  at  Oliver's  Camp- 
ground. At  the  session  of  the  Tennessee  Confer- 
ence of  1834  he  was  admitted  on  trial,  and  appointed 
to  the  Dickson  Circuit,  in  the  Nashville  District, 
with  Thomas  L.  Douglass  as  his  Presiding  Elder. 
In  1835  he  was  sent  to  the  Forked  Deer  Circuit,  as 
the  colleague  of  John  B.  Summers,  and  in  1830  we 
find  him  in  charge  of  the  Paducah  Circuit,  with 
George  TV.  Kelso — who  had  traveled  one  year  as 
junior  preacher  on  the  Franklin  Circuit — as  his 
colleague.  Under  the  ministry  of  these  faithful 
men  the  Paducah  Circuit  increased  largely  in  mem- 
bership; revivals  crowned  their  labors  at  several 
points,  and  many  were  added  to  the  Church.  Near 
the  close  of  the  year  a  camp-meeting  was  held  for 
the  Paducah  Circuit,  near  Milburn,  which  resulted 
in  the  conversion  of  many  souls.  Such  a  general 
outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit  had  but  seldom  been 
realized  in  that  section  of  country.  Speaking  of  this 
meeting,  Messrs.  Bynum  and  Kelso,  the  preachers, 
in  a  letter  to  the  South-western  Christian  Advocate, 
say:  " Believers  were  refreshed,  mourners  crowded 
to  the  altar,  the  most  wicked  fell  on  the  borders  of 
the  congregation,  and  the  groves  and  tents  resounded 
with  the  exultation  of  new-born  souls.  Indeed,  the 
last  several  days  of  the  camp-meeting  the  work  be- 
came so  powerful  that  of  those  who  were  accus- 
tomed to  attend,  almost  without  exception,  they  had 
to  leave  the  place  or  yield.     Some  who  went  off 


Western   Cavaliers.  197 

could  neither  work  nor  sleep,  and  Lad  to  return; 
others,  who  came  merely  to  revile  or  to  disturb, 
were  made  the  happy  subjects  of  converting  grace. 
The  tenters  moved  home  on  Wednesday  morning; 
but  the  meeting  was  continued,  more  or  less,  every 
day  but  one,  until  Sabbath  night  following.  It  had 
to  be  discontinued  mostly  for  want  of  materials  to 
work  upon,  for  scarcely  a  sinner  was  left  in  the  at- 
tending congregation;  not  one  man  remained  in  the 
adjacent  town  who  did  not  set  out  for  heaven,  and 
few  persons  in  the  neighborhood.  Seventy  joined 
the  Church,  and  upward  of  eighty  professed  religion. 
The  work  is  running  through  the  circuit,  and  souls 
are  converted."  *  The  net  increase  in  this  circuit 
was  seventy-one  white  and  four  colored  members — 
making  a  total  increase,  in  Kentucky,  of  seventeen 
hundred  and  seventeen  in  the  white  membership,  and 
a  decrease  of  one  hundred  and  seventy  in  the  colored. 

*  South-western  Christian  Advocate,  September  28,  1837. 


198  Western   Cavaliers. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FROM  THE  SESSION  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CONFERENCE  OF 
1837  TO  THE  CONFERENCE  OF  1838. 

My  talents,  gifts,  and  graces,  Lord, 
Into  thy  blessed  hands  receive; 

And  let  me  live  to  preach  thy  word, 
And  let  me  to  thy  glory  live; 

My  every  sacred  moment  spend 

In  publishing  the  sinner's  Friend. 

THE  Kentucky  Conference  of  1837  met  in  the 
Kepresentatives'  Hall,  in  the  city  of  Frankfort, 
October  18.  Bishop  Koberts  presided,  and  George 
W.  McNelly  and  George  W.  Brush  were  elected 
Secretaries. 

After  the  appointment  of  the  Committees  on 
Public  Worship,  on  Finance,  on  Books  and  Period- 
icals, and  on  Memoirs,  a  communication  from  the 
Book  Agents  at  New  York  and  Cincinnati,  to- 
gether with  an  exhibit  of  the  affairs  of  the  Book 
Concern,  was  read  and  referred  to  the  appropriate 
committee. 

A  resolution  was  offered,  but  not  adopted,  sug- 
gesting the  appointment  of  a  committee  to  inquire 
into   "the  expediency  and  necessity  of  publishing 


Western    Cavaliers.  199 

the  Minutes  of  the  Conference,  for  the  use  and  ben- 
efit of  the  members  within  its  bounds." 

A  committee,  consisting  of  Edward  Stevenson, 
Joseph  S.  Tomlinson,  Lewell  Campbell,  Henry  B. 
Bascom,  and  Richard  Tydings,  was  appointed  to 
write  a  Pastoral  Letter  to  the  Church  throughout 
the  bounds  of  the  Conference. 

In  a  former  chapter  we  made  mention  of  the  vig- 
ilance with  which  the  Kentucky  Conference  guarded 
the  itinerant  system,  and  of  the  dissatisfaction 
which  was  felt  at  the  least  departure  from  the  old 
landmarks  of  Methodism.  At  this  session  of  the 
Conference  the  following  resolution  was  offered: 

"  Whereas,  many  evils  arise  from  the  present  state 
of  our  work;  and  whereas,  a  change  would  be  of 
great  advantage;  therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  we  respectfully  request  the 
Bishop,  or  a  committee  that  he  may  appoint,  so  to 
change  the  work  as  to  dissolve  all  the  stations  (the 
cities  excepted),  and  in  their  stead  to  form  small 
circuits,  consisting  of  from  ten  to  twelve  appoint- 
ments, and  that  some  principal  town  be  at  the  head 
of  every  such  circuit,  and  that  one  or  two  preachers 
be  appointed  to  all  such  circuits,  as  their  demands 
may  recpiire." 

This  resolution  was  signed  by  Jonathan  Stamper, 
Richard  Tydings,  and  Thomas  W.  Chandler,  all  of 
whom  were  Presiding  Elders.  It  was  referred  to  a 
committee  of  seven,  consisting  of  the  Presiding 
Elders,  who  were  instructed  to  report  on  it  as  early 
as  practicable. 

There  wTas  an  increasing  tendency  on  the  part  of 


200  Western   Cavaliers. 

the  Churches,  in  small  towns  where  they  were  not 
sufficiently  strong  to  support  a  preacher,  to  become 
disconnected  from  the  circuits  in  which  they  were 
the  principal  appointments,  and  form  themselves 
into  stations.  This  policy  was  certainly  disastrous 
to  both  the  towns  and  rural  districts.  The  stations 
thus  formed  would  he  too  weak  to  command  the 
talents  and  experience  necessary  to  their  success, 
while  the  circuits,  disconnected  from  thriving  vil- 
lages, were  also  weakened  by  the  change,  to  an 
extent  that  greatly  impaired  their  influence.  The 
object  of  the  resolution  was  to  correct  the  tendency 
in  this  direction,  and,  as  far  as  possible,  to  equalize 
tlie  several  charges  in  the  Conference;  and  the  re- 
port of  the  committee  looked  to  this  result. 

The  Conference  for  several  years  had  suffered 
from  the  loss  of  many  of  its  ablest  preachers,  not 
only  by  death,  but  by  transfer  to  other  Conferences. 
Within  a  few  years  McHenry,  Lindsey,  Powers, 
Vance,  McKnight,  Ogden,  Landrum,  Harrison, 
Outten,  Adams,  Cosby,  Duke,  and  Littlejohn  had 
died,  and  within  the  same  time  McCown,  Young, 
Wallace,  Light,  Bird,  Holliday,  Evans,  and  Frazee 
had  been  transferred  to  other  Conferences.  It  would 
be  difficult  for  any  Conference  to  sustain  itself  under 
such  a  draught  upon  its  members.  It  was  proposed, 
however,  to  make  a  farther  invasion  upon  its  ranks 
by  the  transfer  of  Hubbard  H.  Kavanaugh  to  the 
Missouri  Conference,  for  the  purpose  of  stationing 
him  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis.  Unwilling  to  inter- 
fere with  the  episcopal  prerogative,  the  Conference, 
nevertheless,  deemed  it  not  improper  to  request  the 


Western    Cavaliers.  201 

Bishop  not  to  transfer  Mr.  Kavanaugh.  The  follow- 
ing resolution  was  offered  by  Benjamin  T.  Crouch 
and  Henry  B.  Bascom: 

"  Whereas,  it  has  been  represented  to  many  mem- 
bers of  this  Conference  that  some  steps  have  been 
taken  to  remove  Brother  Hubbard  II.  Kavanaugh 
from  the  ranks  of  this  Conference  by  transfer;  and 
whereas,  this  Conference  is  already  very  much  im- 
poverished in  the  older  portion  of  its  membership, 
by  removals,  deaths,  and  otherwise;  therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  we  respectfully  request  Bishop 
Roberts  to  give  Brother  Kavanaugh  an  appointment 
in  this  Conference." 

The  removal  of  Mr.  Kavanaugh  from  Kentucky 
at  this  period  would  have  been  a  serious  misfortune 
to  the  Church  in  the  State.  ~Eo  preacher  in  the 
Conference  more  fully  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  the 
public,  or  held  a  warmer  place  in  the  affections  of 
the  Church,  than  did  Mr.  Kavanaugh.  For  many 
years  he  had  occupied  the  most  important  fields, 
and  his  ministry  was  sought  everywhere  throughout 
the  commonwealth.  Endowed  with  intellect  of  a 
high  order,  with  powers  of  oratory  rarely  equaled, 
and  with  zeal  and  devotion  to  the  Church  that  no 
one  could  challenge,  he  exerted  an  influence  that 
was  felt  not  only  in  the  walks  of  Methodism,  but  in 
other  Communions.  He  was  no  common  man,  and 
the  Kentucky  Conference  felt  that  if  his  ministry 
was  needed  elsewhere,  for  the  very  same  reason  it 
was  required  in  Kentucky;  besides,  he  had  grown 
up  among  them.  He  had  entered  the  Kentucky 
Conference  in  1823,  and  for  fourteen  years  their  for- 
9* 


202  Western   Cavaliers. 

tunes  and  his  had  been  one,  and  they  felt  unwilling 
that  a  separation  between  him  and  them  should 
occur.  Their  petition  to  the  Bishop  was  respectful; 
Mr.  Ivavanausrh  was  not  transferred. 

o 

Thomas  Lasley,  a  prominent  and  influential  mem- 
ber of  the  Conference,  had  become  connected  with 
slavery  by  the  will  of  his  deceased  father.  A  com- 
mittee was  appointed  to  "consider  and  report  on 
this  and  all  kindred  cases  which  may  be  referred  to 
them."  After  a  thorough  investigation  of  the  en- 
tire question,  the  following  report  was  adopted: 

"  The  committee  find  Brother  Lasley  in  posses- 
sion of  eight  negro  slaves — one  a  woman  aged  eighty 
years,  and  consequently  infirm;  a  man  aged  sixty, 
and  his  wife  aged  fifty;  a  young  man  and  his  wife, 
son  and  daughter-in-law  of  the  two  preceding — all 
of  whom  have  recently  fallen  into  his  hands  under 
the  provisions  of  the  will  of  his  deceased  father,  and 
three  boys  aged,  respectively,  twelve,  fourteen,  and 
sixteen  years,  who  were  born  his  property.  The 
committee  have  availed  themselves  of  all  the  advan- 
tages of  a  full  and  frank  interview  with  Brother 
Lasley.  Your  committee  are  determined  that,  so 
far  as  they  are  concerned,  there  shall  be  no  essential 
infringement  of  the  excellent  rule  of  our  Discipline 
on  this  subject ;  yet,  in  view  of  all  the  circumstances 
of  this  case,  and  former  usages  of  this  Conference 
in  similar  cases,  your  committee  are  induced  to 
recommend  to  the  Conference  the  adoption  of  the 
following  resolutions : 

"Resolved,  first,  That,  as  soon  after  the  adjourn- 
ment  of  this    Conference   as   practicable,  Brother 


W E  s:r  e  r  n    Cavaliers.  203 

Lasley  be  required  to  execute  a  will  securing  the 
emancipation  of  the  young  man  and  his  wife  afore- 
said, providing  expressly  that  their  emancipation 
shall  take  effect  upon  the  death  of  their  parents. 

"Resolved,  second,  That  he  be  required  to  provide, 
by  a  bill  of  manumission,  for  the  liberation  of  the 
three  boys  before  named,  specifying  that  they  shall 
all  go  free  so  soon  as  the  youngest  shall  have  at- 
tained the  age  of  twenty-five  years." 

This  report,  which  was  adopted,  was  signed  by 
Joseph  S.  Tomlinson,  Joseph  Marsee,  Lewell  Camp- 
bell, William  Holman,  and  Robert  Y.  McReynolds. 

The  following  resolution  was  adopted: 

"Resolved,  That  the  Conference,  at  its  present 
session,  proceed  to  appoint,  by  ballot  or  otherwise, 
or  request  the  Bishop  of  the  Conference  to  do  so, 
three  members  of  its  body,  whose  duty  it  shall  be,  at 
the  next  session  of  the  Conference,  to  preach,  or  de- 
liver addresses,  before  the  Conference  and  audiences 
which  may  be  in  attendance,  on  the  following  sub- 
jects: 1.  The  nature,  dignity  and  duties  of  the 
Christian  ministry;  2.  On  the  moral  fitness  and 
probable  results  of  missionary  effort;  3.  On  the 
nature  and  claims  of  literary  education,  viewed  as  a 
general  interest,  and  especially  viewed  in  connection 
with  the  foregoing  subjects.  And  that  this  arrange- 
ment be  considered  as  permanent,  and  be  annually 
attended  to  by  the  Conference  in  future,  as  probable 
means,  among  others,  of  accomplishing  the  great 
object  we  have  in  view,  as  a  component  part  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church." 

This  resolution  was  signed  by  Henry  B.  Bascom, 


204  Western   Cavaliers. 

Jonathan  Stamper,  Joseph  S.  Tomlinson,  and  Ben- 
jamin T.  Crouch.  The  Bishop  appointed  Mr.  Bas- 
com  to  deliver  the  sermon  on  the  Ministry,  Mr. 
Stamper  on  Missions,  and  Mr.  Tomlinson  on  Edu- 
cation. 

Although  the  health  of  Bishop  Roberts  was  feeble 
during  the  Conference,  he  gave  full  satisfaction  in 
the  chair,  in  the  cabinet,  and  in  the  pulpit.  He  not 
only  presided  with  the  dignity  becoming  the  high 
and  holy  office  he  had  so  long  filled  with  signal 
ability,  but  exhibited  throughout  the  session  that 
calmness  and  patience  for  which  he  was  distin- 
guished. In  the  cabinet,  where  the  most  difficult 
and  delicate  portion  of  the  work  of  a  Bishop  is  per- 
formed, he  gave  due  consideration  to  the  opinions 
of  those  with  whom  he  counseled,  and  made  him- 
self well  acquainted  with  the  gifts  and  peculiarities 
of  the  preachers,  as  well  as  with  the  nature  of  the 
work  to  be  supplied ;  while  in  the  pulpit  he  proved 
himself  to  be  a  true  apostle  —  "a  workman  that 
needed  not  to  be  ashamed." 

We  were  present  at  the  Conference  in  Shelby vi lie 
two  years  before,  a  youth,  looking  to  the  ministry ; 
but  now  we  were  in  attendance  to  identify  our  for- 
tunes for  life,  for  weal  or  woe,  whether  in  prosperity 
or  adversity,  with  this  body  of  tried  and  faithful 
ministers  of  Jesus  Christ.  In  the  proceedings  of 
the  Conference  we  felt  the  liveliest  interest,  and  of 
much  that  occurred  during  the  session  we  still 
cherish  the  fondest  recollection.  We  remember  the 
bending  form  of  James  Ward,  and  were  impressed 
by  the  unpretentious  Josiah  Whitaker;   we  recol- 


Western    Cavaliers.  205 

lect  how  we  trembled  and  feared  when  Mr.  Baseom 

examined  us,  previous  to  our  admission  on  trial,* 
and  we  recall  the  soft  and  pleasant  voice  of  Mr. 
Tomlinson;  we  have  not  forgotten  the  open  and 
happy  countenance  of  John  James,  nor  the  tears 
that  we  saw  fall  from  the  face  of  Edward  Stevenson 
while  he  besought  sinners  to  repent  and  turn  to 
God;  the  keen,  dark  eye  of  Isaac  Collard  and  the 
pleasant  shake  of  the  hand  of  Thomas  Lasley  are 
with  us  yet;  we  had  seen  Hubbard  H.  Kavanangh, 
Jonathan  Stamper,  Benjamin  T.  Crouch,  Richard 
Corwine,  and  William  Gunn,  before.  The  first  ser- 
mon we  remember  to  have  heard  was  preached  by 
Mr.  Kavanaugh;  Mr.  Stamper  had  baptized  us  in 
childhood;  Mr.  Crouch  had  received  us  into  the 
Church;  Mr.  Corwine  had  licensed  us  to  exhort, 
and  Mr.  Gunn  to  preach;  but  these  faithful  men 
never  looked  so  commanding  as  when  we  saw  them 
in  their  places  in  the  Conference.  Other  preachers 
were  present  whom  we  knew,  and  to  whom  we  owe 

*On  taking  our  place  in  the  class,  Mr.  Baseom  inquired  if 
we  had  studied  English  grammar.  We  answered,  "No."  He 
then  asked  if  we  had  studied  geography.  We  gave  the  same 
reply.  Lastly,  he  asked,  "What  English  branches  have  you 
studied?"  The  answer  was,  "None."  He  said:  "Then,  my 
brother,  Dr.  Baseom  (who  lived  a  few  doors  from  my  father), 
has  misinformed  me;  he  told  me  that  you  had  received  a 
classical  education."  Embarrassed  beyond  expression,  we 
could  only  say  :  "Brother  Baseom,  please  pass  me  at  present; 
and  when  I  am  composed,  perhaps  I  can  answer  your  ques- 
tions." With  the  kindness  which  ever  distinguished  him,  he 
offered  us  words  of  encouragement,  and  then  passed  on  until 
he  reached  us  again,  when  we  were  able  to  give  an  affirmative 
response  to  his  interrogatories. 


206  Western   Cavaliers. 

much.  There  was  John  Tevis,  who  had  found  us  in 
childhood  with  bad  associates,  and  had  kindly  taken 
us  by  the  hand  and  led  us  to  the  Sunday-school; 
and  there,  too,  we  met  George  W.  Brush,  our  first 
pastor,  whom  we  had  not  seen  for  two  years,  and 
Richard  J).  Xeale,  with  his  cheerful  and  smiling 
face;  and  others,  whose  memory  is  with  us  yet. 

The  preaching  during  the  Conference  was  not 
only  instructive,  but  attended  with  great  power. 
John  Newland  Maffitt  was  there  a  short  time  during1 
the  session,  and  preached  in  the  Methodist  Church, 
to  a  large  and  admiring  audience.  Many  wept 
during  the  sermon.  We  heard  the  sermons  of 
Richard  Deering  and  Thomas  II.  Gibbons,  preached 
to  the  prisoners  in  the  State  Prison  ;  tears  flowed 
copiously.  Thoughts  of  childhood,  in  its  innocence, 
and  of  home  with  all  its  pleasures,  of  a  father's 
advice  and  a  mother's  love,  crowded  upon  our  mind 
as  we  listened  to  the  words  of  eternal  life,  delivered 
by  faithful  men  to  these  unfortunate  ones.  Some  of 
them  had  been  reared  in  ease,  and  all,  perhaps,  had 
known  a  mother's  love.  How  sad  the  hour  when, 
influenced  by  evil  associates,  the}T  for  the  first  time 
desecrated  the  holy  Sabbath,  or  took  the  name  of 
the  Lord  in  vain,  or  drank  from  the  accursed  bowl! 
Having  taken  the  first  step  in  sin,  the  second  was 
not  so  difficult;  and  thus  step  by  step  they  had  pro- 
gressed in  vice,  until  they  were  immured  in  prison- 
walls,  disgraced  and  ruined. 

Joel  Peak,  William  McD.  Abbett,  Wright  Mer- 
rick. Edmund  M.  Johnson,  John  C.  Hardy.  Wesley 
G.   Montgomery,  Williams  B.  Kavanaugh,  Walter 


Western   Cavaliers.  207 

Shearer,  Moses  Levi,  Albert  H.  Bedford,  John  B. 
Perry,  William  D.  Matting,  Lorenzo  D.  Harland, 
Jesse  P.  Murrell,  Jedidiah  Foster,  and  Calvin  W. 
Lewis  were  admitted  on  trial. 

Of  those  who  were  received  on  trial  at  the  pre- 
vious Conference,  Greenup  Barker,  John  J.  Harri- 
son, Theophilus  Powell,  and  Seybourn  Crutchfield 
retired  from  the  itinerant  ranks. 

The  names  of  William  Atherton,  Milton  Jamie- 
son,  John  Denham,  and  James  II.  Brooking-  were 
added  to  the  list  of  the  superannuated. 

Thomas  Lasley,  Stephen  Harber,  Elijah  Sutton, 
and  George  W.  Fagg,  located. 

The  death  of  Hooper  Evans,  a  good  and  true 
man,  had  occurred  during  the  year  just  closed.* 

The  support  of  the  preachers  was  still  far  below 
their  actual  necessities,  although  the  state  of  the 
finances  showed  a  slight  improvement  over  the  pre- 
ceding year.  The  collections  to  meet  deficiencies 
were  small,  but  more  generally  distributed  through- 
out the  Conference  than  they  had  been  in  the  past. 
The  missionary  collections  amounted  to  two  thousand 
and  eighty-three  dollars  and  six  cents,  which  was  a 
large  advance  on  that  of  former  years. 

The  revivals  which  had  blessed  the  Church  during 
the  previous  year,  and  which  had  spread  through 
the  State,  in  some  sections  had  not  abated  when  the 
Conference  met.  It  was,  therefore,  the  privilege  of 
many  of  the  preachers  in  enteriug  upon  their  work 
to  find  it  in  a  blaze. 

*  For  a  sketch  of  Hooper  Evans  see  "  History  of  Methodism 
in  Kentucky." 


208  Western   Cavaliers. 

Henry  !N".  Vandyke,  a  young  man  of  more  than 
ordinary  promise,  was  stationed  in  Frankfort,  where 
the  Conferenee  had  been  held.  We  have  already 
alluded  to  the  presence  of  Mr.  Maffitt  in  Frankfort 
during  the  session  of  the  Conference.  He  left  the 
city  before  the  adjournment,  but  returned  after  a 
few  days,  and  entered  upon  an  active  campaign. 
On  the  26th  of  December  Mr.  Vandyke  addressed  a 
letter  to  Mr.  Stringfield,  editor  of  the  South-western 
Christian  Advocate,  in  which  he  says:  "Permit  me 
to  say  through  your  paper,  to  the  friends  of  Zion, 
that  there  has  been  a  most  gracious  outpouring  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  upon  Frankfort.  We  have  had  a 
protracted-meeting  of  about  nine  weeks.  It  com- 
menced with  the  session  of  the  Annual  Conference, 
which  was  held  in  this  place,  and  which  closed  Oc- 
tober 25.  Just  at  its  close  our  beloved  Brother 
Maffitt,  of  your  place,  visited  us,  and  preached  every 
day.  and  frequently  twice  a  clay,  for  about  six  weeks, 
the  Lord  blessing  his  labors  greatly.  There  have 
been  about  one  hundred  and  thirty  conversions;  one 
hundred  and  twenty  have  joined  the  Methodist  E. 
Church,  about  fifteen  the  Baptist,  and  several  the 
Presbyterian.  The  work  still  goes  on  in  a  most  in- 
teresting manner.  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  being 
in  and  witnessing  several  revivals,  but  I  do  not 
know  that  I  ever  saw  a  more  genuine  revival  in  all 
my  life.  What  is  remarkable  about  it  is  a  large 
majority  of  the  converts  are  men,  principally  young 
men.  There  were,  however,  some  gray -headed 
fathers,  and  some  of  middle  age.  A  decided  victory 
has  turned  upon  the  side  of  Israel;  but  we  are  still 


Western   Cavaliers.  209 

praying  and  looking  for  more.  Our  hope  is  that 
the  glory  of  Clod  may  till  the  whole  city,  and  his 
praise  be  sung  by  every  tongue.  Doubtless  many 
will  rejoice  through  eternity  that  Brother  Maffitt 
visited  Frankfort.  They  think  of  him  with  emo- 
tions of  deepest  gratitude;  and  certainly  no  man 
deserves  more  applause  than  he,  for  his  perseverance 
and  zeal.  The  salvation  of  souls  seems  to  be  his 
only  object;  hence,  he  labors  most  indefatigably,  day 
and  night,  amidst  discouragements,  difficulties,  and 
persecutions.  May  God  long  preserve  his  life,  that 
he  may  prove  a  blessing  to  thousands  more!"* 

While  hundreds  were  listening  to  the  appeals  of 
Mr.  Maffitt  in  the  city  of  Frankfort,  Francis  A. 
Dighton,  of  the  Erie  Conference,  Agent  for  the 
American  Bible  Society,  was  proclaiming  salvation 
to  the  vast  assemblies  that  waited  upon  his  ministry, 
in  the  Fourth-street  Church,  in  Louisville. 

Mr.  Dighton  was  born  in  Erie  county,  Pennsyl- 
vania, October  7, 1812.  On  the  24th  of  June,  1827, 
he  experienced  religion,  at  a  camp-meeting  held  in 
the  town  of  Villenova,  New  York.  In  1833  he  was 
admitted  on  trial,  in  the  traveling  connection,  into 
the  Pittsburgh  Conference,  and  appointed  to  the 
Westfleld  Circuit,  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and 
the  following  year  to  the  St.  Clairsville  Circuit,  in 
Ohio.  In  1835  he  was  stationed  in  Cleveland, 
where  he  remained  two  years.  In  1837  he  traveled 
as  Agent  for  the  American  Bible  Society.  The  du- 
ties of  the  agency  which  he  had  accepted,  and  which 
he  was  faithfully  prosecuting,  brought  Mr.  Dighton 
* South-western  Christian  Advocate,  January  4,  1838. 


210  Western    Cavaliers. 

to  the  city  of  Louisville,  where  he  was  destined  to 
gather  many  stars  to  deck  the  crown  of  his  rejoic- 
ing. Consumption,  that  sure  destroyer,  had  fastened 
its  fangs  in  his  system,  and  he  was  rapidly  hasten- 
ing to  the  grave.  He  had  a  message,  however, 
from  God  to  mankind,  and  he  was  delivering  it 
with  an  energy  and  ardor  to  which  his  wasting 
strength  was  not  equal.  Easy  in  his  manners,  agree- 
able in  conversation,  eloquent  in  the  pulpit,  and 
fervent  in  his  work,  he  was  beloved  wherever  known. 
His  labors  in  Louisville  were  greatly  blessed.  Mr. 
Tydings,  stationed  at  Fourth  and  Eighth  streets, 
with  John  Christian  Harrison  as  his  colleague, 
writes  from  Louisville:  "With  great  pleasure  I 
would  inform  you  that  the  great  Head  of  the  Church 
has,  in  the  abundance  of  his  mercy,  visited  this 
place.  As  hard,  and  dark,  and  wicked  as  it  has 
been,  the  Lord  has  made  known  his  power  and 
saving  grace  to  many  precious  souls,  in  a  most  won- 
derful manner.  Between  seventy  and  eighty  were 
received  into  the  Church  on  probation,  in  about  two 
weeks  after  the  work  commenced,  the  most  of 
whom  profess  to  be  happily  converted  to  God;  and 
one  of  the  best  omens  that  I  have  noticed  is  that  a 
considerable  number  are  children  from  ten  to  fifteen 
years  of  age,  the  most  of  whom  have  been  carefully 
nursed  in  the  precious — yes, precious — Sabbath-school. 
Such  was  the  rapidity  and  glory  of  the  work  that  as 
many  as  twenty  or  upward  professed  to  be  converted 
in  one  night.  Glory  to  God  for  his  unspeakable 
goodness!  and  let  all  the  Church  shout  aloud.  Amen  ! 
And  'what  shall  be  done  unto  the  man  whom  the 


Western   Cavaliers.  211 

king*  delighteth  to  honor?'  and  what  can  be  greater 
honor  than  to  be  made  instrumental  in  bringing  souls 
to  God?  Surely,  this  is  the  greatest  ever  conferred 
upon  man.  Then,  it  can  be  no  harm  to  say,  on  the 
present  occasion,  that  the  principal,  if  not  sole,  agent 
in  this  good  Work  here  was  our  well-beloved  Brother 
Francis  A.  Dighton,  Agent  for  the  American  Bible 
Society,  who  was  on  a  visit  to  this  place.  He  labored 
constantly  and  faithfully,  day  and  night,  for  about 
the  space  of  two  weeks,  and  great  and  glorious  suc- 
cess attended  his  word.  Many  here,  no  doubt,  shall 
rise  up  in  the  great  day  and  call  him  blessed;  and 
we  would,  as  we  should,  give  all  the  glory  to  His 
abounding  grace,  and  at  the  same  time  thank  Him, 
also,  for  sending  such  an  instrument  of  good  among 
us.  May  God  bless  our  dear  young  brother,  and 
make  him  still  more  abundantly  successful!  The 
good  work  has  not  altogether  subsided,  and  we  hope 
it  will  continue  until  all  shall  be  brought  home  to 
God."* 

Mr.  Dighton  had  come  to  Louisville  a  stranger, 
almost  unknown;  he  left  the  city  with  the  blessing 
of  hundrecls.f 

The  notes  of  triumph  at  Fourth-street  had  not 
died  away  before  the  Brook-street  Church,  in  the 
same  city,  also  experienced  a  revival,  which  had  no 
parallel  in  Louisville  in  the  past.  The  meeting 
commenced  about  the  first  of  January,  under  the 
ministry  of  George  W.  Brush,  the  pastor  of  the 

*  Western  Christian  Advocate,  December  29,  1837. 
f  Mr.  Dighton's  health  rapidly  declined  after  he  left  Louis- 
ville.    He  died  December  26,  1838. 


212  Western    Cavaliers. 

Church,  and  soon  showed  indications  of  a  good 
work.  After  it  had  been  in  progress  for  five  weeks, 
without  any  cessation,  Mr.  Brush  writes:  "There  is 
now  going  forward  in  the  Methodist  Church,  on 
Brook  street,  one  of  the  most  powerful  revivals  of 
the  work  of  God  that  has  ever  been  seen  here.  It 
is  now  five  weeks  since  it  began,  but  for  seven  days 
past  it  has  swept  all  before  it.  The  crowd  is  so 
great  every  evening  that  few  pretend  to  keep  their 
seats,  and  unless  the  mourners  take  their  place  in 
the  altar  before  preaching,  it  is  fruitless  to  attempt 
making  their  way  thither  after  the  crowd  has  con- 
vened. We  regularly  dismiss  the  people  at  ten 
o'clock,  but  they  do  not  leave  until  twelve  and  one 
o'clock.  We  are  unable  to  give  the  number  of  con- 
verts; we  kept  count  for  awhile,  but  the  battle  grew 
so  warm  that  no  one  could  tell  who  or  how  many 
were  blessed.  There  were  mourners  in  every  part 
of  the  house.  One  hundred  and  twenty-seven  have 
given  in  their  names  to  join  the  Church.  A  great 
many — perhaps  seventy-five — have  been  converted; 
and  yet,  on  last  evening,  more  than  sixty  were  at 
the  altar  for  prayer  and  instruction.  Among  all 
the  converts,  we  know  of  only  three  or  four  who  did 
not  join  the  Church  before  they  found  the  blessing. 
The  character  of  those. who  have  joined  gives  good 
ground  to  hope  that  this  will  prove  to  have  been  a 
sound  and  genuine  work  of  God.  We  have  had 
comparatively  but  little  preaching.  The  sermons 
preached  have  seldom  been  more  than  thirty  min- 
utes long,  and  often  we  exhort  and  call  the  mourners 
at  once.     The  members  of  the  Church  were  a  little 


Western    Cavaliers.  213 

slow  at  first  to  go  into  the  work;  but  when  once 
they  made  a  break,  they  threw  their  whole  souls  into 
it.  Many  of  the  sisters,  too,  have  been  '  our  helpers 
in  Christ  Jesus.' "  * 

The  meeting  was  still  in  progress  when  the  above 
letter  was  written.  The  interest  continued  to  in- 
crease, reaching  in  its  influence  every  portion  of  the 
city.  At  a  later  period  another  letter  is  published, 
from  the  pen  of  the  pastor,  announcing  that  two 
hundred  and  twenty  persons  had  joined  the  Church, 
and  about  the  same  number  had  been  converted  to 
God.f  The  meeting  continued  forty  days,  and  be- 
fore its  close  four  hundred  persons  joined  the  Church. 

A  letter  from  Benjamin  T.  Crouch,  the  Presiding 
Elder  of  the  Louisville  District,  dated  Frankfort, 
Kentucky,  March  14,  to  the.  Western  Christian  Advo- 
cate, says:  "We  have  gracious  times  in  Louisville. 
Nearly  four  hundred  have  been  added  to  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church,  in  that  city,  during  the  last 
three  months.  Conversions  have  been  numerous 
and  powerful.  Glory  to  God  for  his  saving  influ- 
ence! Our  Baptist  and  Presbyterian  friends  have 
also  been  much  refreshed.  The  work  is  very  gen- 
eral in  the  city,  and  is  still  progressing.  God  is 
reviving  his  work  elsewhere  in  this  District." 

During  this  year  the  white  membership  of  the 
Church  in  Louisville  was  almost  doubled,  and  the 
colored  membership  increased  thirty-three  per  cent. 
Mr.  Crouch,  in  his  letter,  refers  to  revivals  in  other 
portions  of  his  District.     In  almost  eveiy  charge 

*  Western  Christian  Advocate,  March  9,  1838.  f  Western  Chris- 
tian Advocate,  March  23,  1838. 


214  Western   Cavaliers. 

there  were  "  times  of  refreshing  from  the  presence 
of  the  Lord,"  and  in  some  extraordinary  outpour- 
ings of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The  Hardin sburg  Circuit 
was  greatly  blessed.  The  preachers  were  Daniel  S. 
Barksdale  and  Moses  Levi — the  former  a  young 
man  of  great  worth,  who  had  been  in  the  Confer- 
ence since  1834,  and  the  latter  a  converted  Jew  who, 
although  fifty  years  of  age,  had  just  been  admitted 
on  trial.  In  the  month  of  February  a  meeting  was 
commenced  in  the  village  of  Brandenburg — a  small 
town  on  the  Ohio  River — and  was  continued  through 
several  weeks,  at  which  one  hundred  and  two  per- 
sons joined  the  Church,  and  more  than  that  number 
made  a  profession  of  religion.  It  rained  almost 
constantlv  during  the  meeting,  and  the  church  was 
unfavorably  located  for  the  community;  yet,  day 
and  night,  the  people,  with  scarcely  a  sidewalk  in 
any  part  of  the  town,  walked  through  the  deep 
mud  to  the  house  of  God.  The  church  was  con- 
stantly crowded,  and  the  result  was  glorious.  As 
the  year  progressed  other  portions  of  the  circuit 
were  equally  favored,  until  over  three  hundred  per- 
sons were  added  to  the  Church. 

The  Jefferson  Circuit — to  which  Richard  Deering 
and  Williams  B.  Kavanaugh  were  appointed — en- 
joyed much  prosperity.  Mr.  Kavanaugh  joined  the 
Conference  at  its  previous  session,  but  Mr.  Deering 
had  been  an  itinerant  since  1832.  He  was  born  in 
Greenup  county,  Kentucky,  August  25,  1811.  In 
the  month  of  June,  1828,  before  he  was  seventeen 
years  old,  at  Dement's  Chapel,  in  the  same  county, 
he  was  received  into  the  Church  as  a  seeker  of  re- 


Western    Cavaliers.  215 

ligion,  by  Nehemiah  A.  Cravens.  A  year  passed — - 
a  year  of  doubts,  and  fears,  and  struggle — before  lie 
realized  a  sense  of  the  pardoning  love  of  Christ. 
During  this  time  his  father  had  removed  to  Mis- 
souri. It  was  June,  1829,  when  he  was  converted. 
Almost  despairing  of  the  mercy  of  God,  which  he 
had  so  long  and  so  earnestly  sought,  he  retired  to  a 
pine-forest,  on  the  bank  of  Current  River,  in  Wayne 
county,  Missouri,  where,  in  agony  and  prayer,  he 
poured  out  his  soul  to  God.  At  this  time  and  place 
he  was  powerfully  converted.  Returning  to  Ken- 
tucky, he  met  with  Thomas  Waring,  the  junior 
preacher  on  the  Little  Sandy  and  Highland  Circuit, 
who  not  only  invited  but  urged  him  to  accompany 
him  around  the  circuit.  Impressed  with  the  con- 
viction that  he  ought  to  preach  the  gospel  of  Christ, 
he  pleaded  every  excuse  rather  than  enter  on  the 
responsible  work.  His  youth,  his  inexperience,  his 
want  of  qualifications  for  the  duties  of  an  itinerant 
preacher,  were  offered  as  arguments;  but  "Woe  is 
unto  me  if  I  preach  not  the  gospel ! "  confronted  him 
by  day  and  by  night.  On  his  tour  with  Mr.  Waring 
he  exhorted  a  few  times,  and  finally  attempted  to 
preach,  and  afterward  preached  several  times  before 
Mr.  Waring  left  the  circuit.  Unwilling  to  enter 
the  Conference,  Mr.  Corwine,  the  Presiding  Elder, 
kindly  proposed  to  reserve  a  place  for  him  on  the 
Hinckstone  Circuit,  as  junior  preacher,  if  he  would 
promise  to  fill  it.  He  conferred  with  his  father, 
who  gave  his  consent,  and  with  older  members  of 
the  Church,  who  encouraged  him  to  take  up  the 
cross.      On  the  9th   of  November,  1831,  he  bade 


216  Western    Cavaliers. 

_  m 

adieu  to  his  parents,  and  brothers  and  sisters,  and 
started  for  his  field  of  labor.  On  his  way  thither  he 
stopped  at  the  home  of  Mr.  Corwine,  who  resided 
in  Flemingsburg,  and  on  the  following  day,  in  com- 
pany with  the  Presiding  Elder,  continued  his  jour- 
ney to  his  charge.  He  reached  the  circuit  in  time 
for  the  first  quarterly-meeting,  which  was  held  in 
Millersburg.  Martin  L.  Eades  was  the  preacher  in 
charge,  and  to  him  was  committed  the  care  of  young 
Deering.  The  circuit  included  more  than  twenty 
preaching-places,  one  of  which  was  in  Paris,  where 
his  itinerant  ministry  commenced.  He  continued 
to  preach  with  varied  success  until  the  second  quar- 
terly-meeting, which  began  May  12,  1832.  At  this 
time  he  was  made  a  licentiate,  having  exercised  his 
gifts  up  to  this  period  under  the  authority  of  the 
Presiding  Elder — preaching  nearly  one  year  before 
he  was  licensed. 

William  B.  Landrum  traveled  the  Lewis  Circuit 
this  year.  The  fourth  quarterly-meeting  on  his  cir- 
cuit was  a  camp-meeting,  and  was  held  at  Bethel. 
Among  the  preachers  who  were  present  on  that 
occasion,  and  preached,  Mr.  Landrum,  in  his  Auto- 
biography, mentions  Richard  Deering.  He  says: 
"I  have  often  thought  of  a  sermon  he  preached  at 
that  meeting.  His  text  was,  '  I  have  a  message  from 
Cod  unto  thee.'  He  declared  his  message  in  such  a 
manner  as  to  have  a  wonderful  effect  on  the  congre- 
gation." The  year  spent  by  Mr.  Deering  on  the 
Hinckstone  Circuit  was  profitable  to  him  as  well  as 
a  blessing  to  the  Church.  He  had  entered  fully  into 
the  labors  of*  an  itinerant  preacher,and  "the  pleasure 


Western   Cavaliers.  217 

of  the  Lord  had  prospered  in  his  hands."  In  every 
portion  of  the  circuit  he  had  gathered  souls  into 
the  Church,  and  witnessed  gracious  revivals  of  re- 
ligion. 

At  the  fourth  quarterly-meeting,  September  1, 
1832,  he  was  recommended  to  the  Kentucky  Annual 
Conference,  and  was  duly  received.  Richard  Cor- 
winc,  the  Presiding  Elder,  under  whose  auspices  he 
had  entered  the  itinerant  field,  was  sent  to  the 
Fleming  Circuit,  and  we  are  not  surprised  that  he 
requested  the  appointment  of  Richard  Deering  as 
his  colleague.  The  year  was  one  of  great  pros- 
perity. Revivals  of  religion  occurred  throughout 
the  circuit,  and  hundreds  were  brought  to  Christ 
and  added  to  the  Church.  The  Asiatic  cholera  was 
sweeping  through  that  section  of  the  State,  spread- 
ing consternation  along  its  path,  and  carrying  hun- 
dreds to  the  grave.  Before  its  appearance  the 
minds  and  hearts  of  the  people  were  turned  toward 
religion,  and  amid  its  ravages  there  was  no  abate- 
ment of  interest  on  this  great  question.  So  intense 
was  the  feeling  of  the  people  on  the  subject  of  re- 
ligion, and  so  wide-spread  was  the  revival  influence, 
that  the  Quarterly  Conference  requested  that  Mr. 
Deering  be  allowed  to  remain  on  the  circuit  during 
the  session  of  the  Conference,  and  carry  on  the 
work,  aided  by  Benjamin  Northcott  and  other  local 
preachers. 

At  the  Conference  of  1833  Richard  Deering  was 

sent  to  the  Germantown  Circuit,  as  the  colleague  of 

Francis  Landrum.     In  this  field,  as  in  those  he  had 

previously  occupied,  he  was  eminently  useful.     The 

10 


218  Western    Cavaliers. 

preacher  in  charge  was  distinguished  for  his  great 
zeal  and  abundant  success.  Following  in  the  lead 
of  this  great  revivalist,  the  young  preacher,  like  a 
flame  of  fire,  passed  through  his  work,  preaching 
the  gospel  and  exhorting  sinners  to  be  reconciled  to 
God.  The  circuit  was  in  a  blaze:  the  cries  of  pen- 
itents pleading  for  mercy,  and  the  shouts  of  new- 
born souls,  were  heard  everywhere. 

At  the  following  Conference  we  find  him  in 
Louisville,  as  the  colleague  of  William  Holm  an. 
William  P.  McKnight,  of  precious  memory,  had 
preceded  him  in  that  city,  and  had  fallen  soon  after 
entering  upon  his  work.  The  labors  of  Mr.  Deering 
hitherto  had  been  in  the  rural  districts,  although  in 
the  most  inviting  fields  in  the  Conference.  The 
duties  of  a  city  pastor  differ  materially  from  those 
of  a  preacher  on  a  circuit:  the  labor  is  much  more 
onerous,  presenting  at  the  same  time  much  less  va- 
riety. In  this  new  and  interesting  sphere  the  young 
preacher  not  only  sustained  himself,  but  was  instru- 
mental in  the  accomplishment  of  much  good. 

It  was  during  the  pastorate  of  Mr.  Deering  in  the 
city  of  Louisville  that  we  first  met  him.  Late  in  the 
spring  of  1835  he  visited  Shelbyville  for  the  purpose 
of  aiding  George  W.  Brush  in  a  meeting.  Youth- 
ful in  appearance,  courteous  in  his  manners,  and 
wTithal  modest  and  unassuming  in  his  deportment, 
and  able  and  interesting  in  the  pulpit,  he  won  upon 
the  hearts  of  the  people,  not  only  in  the  Church,  but 
throughout  the  community,  as  few  men  had  done. 
His  voice  was  the  most  melodious  we  had  ever  heard, 
and  the  words  of  life,  as  they  fell  warm  from  his 


Western    Cavaliers.  219 

lips,  penetrated  every  heart.  He  was  a  favorite  of 
the  young,  the  middle-aged  admired  and  loved  him, 
while  the  old  regarded  him  with  favor  and  affection. 
With  timidity  we  approached  him  as  he  was  leaving 
the  pulpit,  the  first  evening  he  preached,  and  offered 
him  our  hand.  Looking  us  steadily  in  the  face,  he 
said,  "Young  man,  God  has  work  for  you  to  do." 
He  had  never  seen  us  before,  and  did  not  ask  our 
name,  yet  he  gave  utterance  to  a  sentiment  from 
which  we  were  endeavoring  to  escape. 

At  a  later  period  in  the  year  he  attended  a  camp- 
meeting  at  Cardwell's  Camp-ground,  three  miles  east 
of  Shelbyville,  where  he  preached  with  great  power 
and  success.  His  singing,  too,  was  sweeter  than 
any  we  had  ever  heard.  That  beautiful  hymn  of 
Kirke  White's  was  his  favorite : 

When,  marshaled  on  the  nightly  plain, 

The  glitt'ring  host  bestud  the  sky, 
One  star  alone  of  all  the  train 

Can  fix  the  sinner's  wand'ring  eye. 
Hark!  hark!  to  God  the  chorus  breaks, 

From  every  host,  from  every  gem; 
But  one  alone  the  Saviour  speaks, 

It  is  the  Star  of  Bethlehem. 

At  the  close  of  the  year,  in  Louisville,  he  was 
married  to  Mrs.  Amanda  McGrath,  a  young  widow 
of  deep  piety  and  of  rare  accomplishments. 

From  Louisville  we  follow  him  to  the  Russellville 
Station,  and  thence  to  the  Newcastle  Circuit — in 
both  of  which  charges  he  was  beloved  and  useful. 
His  next  appointment  was  the  Jefferson  Circuit, 
where  we  find  him  the  present  year.     Although  the 


220  Western   Cavaliers. 

ministry  of  Mr.  Deering  on  the  Jefferson  Circuit 
was  not  so  signally  blessed  as  on  other  fields  where 
he  had  labored,  yet  through  his  instrumentality  the 
Church  was  built  up,  and  many  were  brought  "  from 
darkness  to  light."  During  the  year  fifty  persons 
were  added  to  the  Church. 

Early  in  the  summer  the  Hartford  Circuit — the 
extreme  appointment  in  the  Louisville  District — was 
blessed  with  extraordinary  revivals.  The  preacher 
was  Joseph  Gr.  Ward.  Mr.  Ward  was  the  son  of  the 
Rev.  James  Ward,  whose  name  had  been  for  many 
years  a  household  word  in  the  Methodist  families  of 
Kentuck}7.  He  was  born  in  Botetourt  county,  Vir- 
ginia, August  29,  1805,  and  was  brought  up  in  Jef- 
ferson county,  Kentucky,  where  his  father  settled  in 
1807.  Although  the  son  of  a  Methodist  preacher, 
he  did  not  embrace  religion,  nor  become  a  member 
of  the  Church,  until  he  attained  his  majority.  At  a 
camp-meeting  at  Shrader's  Camp-ground,  in  1826, 
lie  was  powerfully  awakened  under  the  ministry  of 
Rjphard  D.  Neale,  and  at  the  same  meeting  was 
converted  and  joined  the  Church.  Believing  him- 
self to  be  divinely  called  to  preach  the  gospel,  he 
was  licensed  by  Marcus  Lindsey,  by  order  of  the 
Quarterly  Conference  of  Jefferson  Circuit,  October 
6,  1828,  and  at  the  same  time  recommended  to  the 
Kentucky  Conference  for  admission  on  trial. 

The  first  appointment  of  Mr.  Ward  was  to  the 
Cumberland  Circuit,  with  James  C.  Crow  in  charge. 
The  circuit  to  which  he  was  sent  embraced  portions 
of  Rockcastle  and  Pulaski  counties,  and  the  coun- 
ties of  Laurel,  Clay,  Knox,  and  Harlan,  and  spread 


Western   Cavaliers.  221 

over  the  most  rugged  portion  of  the  State.  Al- 
though there  was  no  general  revival  on  the  work, 
yet  sixty-eight  persons  were  added  to  the  Church, 
and  about  the  same  number  professed  to  find  the 
forgiveness  of  sins.  At  the  Conference  of  1829  lie 
was  sent  to  the  Madison  Circuit,  with  the  saintly 
Samuel  Harrison.  Notwithstanding  the  fidelity 
with  which  these  preachers  performed  the  duties 
assigned  them,  there  was  no  ingathering  into  the 
Church  on  this  work.  Here  and  there  a  solitary 
individual  became  identified  with  the  people  of  God; 
yet  no  remarkable  demonstrations  of  divine  power 
were  seen  or  felt.  In  1830  his  appointment  was  to 
the  Lewis  Circuit,  with  Francis  Lanclrum.  The 
preacher  in  charge  from  some  cause  failing  to  go  to 
the  circuit,  Mr.  Ward  was  placed  in  charge,  and 
John  W.  Biggin — then  a  local  preacher — employed 
to  assist  him.  The  year  was  one  of  great  prosperity. 
At  a  camp-meeting  in  Lewis  county,  held  in  the 
summer  of  1831,  on  Cabin  Creek,  many  precious 
souls  were  awakened  and  converted.  The  following 
year  we  find  him  on  Germ  an  town  Circuit,  with 
George  W.  Brush.  The  removal  of  Mr.  Brush  to 
the  pastoral  charge  of  the  Church  in  Maysville,  in 
the  early  part  of  the  year,  left  Mr.  Ward  alone  on 
the  circuit,  where,  through  his  instrumentality, 
many  were  gathered  into  the  fold  of  Christ.  From 
the  Germantown  Circuit  we  follow  him  to  Bowling 
Green — a  circuit  with  twenty-eight  appointments,  to 
be  filled  every  four  weeks.  Successful  as  Mr.  Ward 
had  been  on  other  fields,  in  this  his  success  was  of 
eclipsing  superiority.    At  almost  every  appointment 


222  Western    Cavaliers. 

sinners  were  awakened  and  penitents  converted. 
Near  the  close  of  the  year,  at  a  camp -meeting  held 
at  Drake's  Camp-ground,  in  Warren  county,  the 
revival  bore  down  every  thing  before  its  mighty 
power.  Hundreds  were  awakened  and  cried  for 
mercy,  and  at  this  meeting  about  seventy  persons 
found  the  pearl  of  great  price.  The  pastor  of  the 
Church  in  Bowling  Green — Thomas  H.  Cropper — 
having  left  his  work  because  of  affliction,  late  in  the 
winter,  the  station  was  added  to  the  circuit,  and 
formed  a  part  of  Mr.  Ward's  field  of  labor.  We 
have  more  than  once  alluded  to  the  appearance  of 
cholera  during  the  spring  and  summer  of  1833. 
The  interior  of  the  State  was  suffering  to  an  alarm- 
ing extent,  and  the  epidemic  was  making  rapid 
progress  in  its  march  toward  Southern  Kentucky. 
In  Bowling  Green — at  that  time  a  comparatively 
small  village — a  conference  was  held  by  the  minis- 
ters of  the  several  Communions,  and  a  day  of  fasting 
and  prayer  appointed  for  the  purpose  of  averting 
the  threatening  scourge,  and  to  ask  God  to  revive 
his  work  among  the  people.  At  the  appointed  time 
the  Christians  of  all  denominations  met  together  in 
the  Baptist  Church,  and  many  and  fervent  prayers 
were  offered  up  to  God.  A  few  days  later  a  meeting 
commenced  in  the  Baptist  Church,  under  the  minis- 
try of  Mr.  Chapman,  a  Cumberland  Presbyterian, 
and  other  ministers  of  that  denomination,  in  which 
all  the  Churches  united,  and  at  which  about  two 
hundred  persons  "tasted"  for  the  first  time  "the 
good  word  of  God  and  the  powers  of  the  world  to 
come."     Bowling  Green  was  not  only  blessed  with 


Western    Cavaliers.  223 

this  great  revival,  but  no  case  of  cholera  occurred 
there  during  the  season. 

In  1833  we  find  Mr.  Ward  on  the  Shelby  Circuit, 
with  William  Helm.  He  only  remained  on  the 
Shelby  Circuit  until  the  following  spring,  when  the 
business  of  his  father  rendered  it  necessary  for  him 
to  return  home,  and  at  the  ensuing  Conference  to 
ask  for  a  location.  He  continued  in  a  local  rela- 
tion but  one  year,  during  which  time  he  preached 
almost  as  constantly  as  he  had  done  in  an  itinerant 
capacity. 

While  sustaining  the  position  of  a  local  preacher, 
in  the  summer  of  1835,  he  united  with  Mr.  Eemley, 
a  Presbyterian  minister,  in  a  meeting  in  Middle- 
town,  and  here  their  labors  were  greatly  blessed. 
Many  persons  turned  "  from  darkness  to  light."  As 
the  result  of  this  meeting,  twenty -live  persons  joined 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  fifty  the  Methodist, 
and  a  subscription  was  taken  up  to  build  a  house  of 
worship  for  each  denomination. 

Eager  to  devote  his  life  to  the  one  work  of  doing 
good,  in  1835  we  find  his  name  again  in  the  Minutes, 
and  on  the  Newcastle  Circuit.  Without  any  gen- 
eral revival,  the  Church  enjoyed  "times  of  refresh- 
ing from  the  presence  of  the  Lord."  In  1836  his 
name  appears  in  connection  with  the  Breckinridge 
Circuit,  where  he  found  much  to  discourage  him, 
and  met  with  but  little  success. 

At  the  Conference  of  1837  he  was  sent  alone  to  the 
Hartford  Circuit,  where  we  meet  with  him  faithfully 
prosecuting  his  work  as  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ. 
Early  in  the  spring,  at  a  meeting  held  three  miles 


224  Western    Cavaliers. 

from  Hartford,  at  Goshen  Meeting-house,  thirty 
persons  were  converted  in  a  single  week.  The 
third  quarterly-meeting,  which  was  held  in  Hart- 
ford, commenced  May  10,  and  was  protracted  for 
two  weeks.  At  this  meeting  between  ninety  and 
one  hundred  professed  religion,  and  eighty -one 
joined  the  Methodist  Church.  The  labors  of  Mr. 
Ward,  during  the  continuance  of  the  meeting  in 
Hartford,  were  very  arduous.  The  duties  of  the 
Presiding  Elder  forbade  his  remaining  only  a  few 
days  at  the  meeting,  and  the  claims  of  other  por- 
tions of  the  circuit,  which  wTas  a  large  one,  required 
the  pastor  to  be  absent  a  large  portion  of  the  time. 
Unwilling  to  abandon  a  work  that  promised  so 
much  blessing  to  the  Church,  Mr.  Ward  would 
leave  Hartford  in  the  morning,  and  attend  his  ap- 
pointments in  the  country,  and  return  at  night  and 
preach  in  the  village.  At  the  close  of  the  year 
more  than  two  hundred  persons  had  been  added  to 
the  Church. 

As  a  preacher  Mr.  Ward  took  high  rank  with  the 
young  men  of  promise  in  the  Conference. 

The  net  increase  in  the  Louisville  District  was 
jive  hundred,  and  ninety  white  and  one  hundred  and 
seventy-seven  colored  members. 

We  have  already  referred  to  the  revival  in  Frank- 
fort, in  the  Lexington  District,  under  the  ministry 
of  Mr.  Maffitt.  The  interest  of  the  meeting  did 
not  terminate  with  the  labors  of  this  distinguished 
preacher.  Throughout  the  year  a  lively  concern 
was  manifested  on  the  subject  of  religion,  which 
extended  to  the  State  Prison — more  than  thirty  of 


Western   Cavaliers.  225 

the  unfortunate  inmates  of  that  institution  entering 
upon  a  better  life.* 

We  follow  Mr.  Maffitt  from  Frankfort  to  George- 
town, where  sixty  persons,  under  his  ministry,  are 
brought  to  a  saving  knowledge  of  the  truth,  as  it 
is  in  Jesus.  The  interest  awakened  by  his  labors 
in  this  beautiful  village  can  scarcely  be  expressed. 
All  classes  of  society  went  to  hear  him,  and  a  deep 
religious  impression  rested  on  every  mind  and  heart. 

While  the  Church  at  Georgetown  was  receiving 
valuable  accessions,  the  labors  of  Henry  E.  Pilcher, 
stationed  at  Newport  and  Covington,  were  proving 
successful.  At  a  meeting,  commencing  near  the 
first  of  February,  in  the  city  of  Covington — where 
Mr.  Pilcher,  the  pastor,  was  aided  by  Messrs.  Ham- 
line  and  Sw^ormstedt — one  hundred  and  ten  per- 
sons became  members  of  the  Church.  Mr.  Pilcher, 
in  a  letter  to  the  Western  Christian  Advocate,  says: 
"I  am  happy  to  say  that  the  work  of  God  is  still 
progressing  in  this  station,  and  in  a  more  glorious 
manner  than  ever  before  witnessed.  For  five  weeks 
past  we  have  been,  almost  every  day  and  night, 
more  or  less  engaged  in  the  services  of  the  sanc- 
tuary. The  set  time  to  favor  Zion  surely  has  come, 
and  the  current  of  salvation  is  rolling  over  the 
whole  city.  There  are  but  few  in  this  place  who 
are  disposed  to  raise  the  standard  of  opposition,  and 
many  of  those  who  in  the  incipient  stages  of  this 
revival  were  the  most  violent  opposers  of  the  work 
of  God  have  become  the  most  zealous  advocates  of 

*  Henry  N.  Vandyke  in  the  Western  Christian  Advocate,  May 

18,  1838. 

10* 


226  Western   Cavaliers. 

the  cross.  I  here  cannot  forbear  mentioning  one 
circumstance  that  occurred  during  the  progress  of 
this  glorious  work.  At  one  of  our  meetings,  whilst 
the  saints  of  the  Most  High  were  exulting  in  the 
triumphs  of  the  cross,  and  penitents  were  earnestly 
pleading  for  mercy,  a  lady  in  the  congregation,  who 
was  looking  on,  saw  with  amazement  two  of  her 
daughters  appear  deeply  interested  in  the  work. 
One  of  them,  having  obtained  the  blessing  of  justi- 
fication the  night  previous,  was  seated  in  a  chair, 
instructing  her  sister,  who  was  kneeling,  with  her 
head  reclining  upon  her  lap,  and  sighing  for  re- 
demption through  the  blood  of  Christ.  This  sight 
was  appalling  to  the  mother,  who  had  been  advised 
by  some  of  her  friends  to  take  care  of  her  daughter, 
or  those  Methodists  would  be  the  cause  of  her 
death.  In  the  trepidation  of  her  mind  she  sprang 
from  her  seat,  rushed  forward,  and  Arrested  her 
daughter  from  the  altar,  seated  her  on  a  bench,  and 
endeavored  to  quiet  her;  but  all  to  no  purpose. 
The  child  refused  to  be  comforted.  The  mother 
was  urged  to  permit  her  daughter  to  seek  religion. 
"We  assured  her  there  was  no  danger,  inasmuch  as 
the  same  Power  that  had  wounded  was  able  to  heal. 
She  concluded  the  next  evening  that  her  daughter 
might  go  to  the  altar  again;  and  while  the  child 
amis  earnestly  pleading  for  mercy,  the  mother  gazed 
upon  her  in  sadness  and  silence.  God  soon  spoke 
peace  to  the  soul  of  her  child,  who  proclaimed  aloud 
the  song  of  redemption.  The  mother  began  to 
quake  and  tremble,  and  exclaimed:  'That  is  the 
right  kind  of  religion!     J  will  know  the  next  time 


Western    Cavaliers.  227 

whom  to  believe,'  and  immediately  bowed  at  the 
altar,  and  began,  herself,  to  plead  for  mercy.  When 
the  door  of  the  Church  was  opened,  the  same  night, 
she  came  forward  and  gave  her  name  for  member- 
ship, and  on  the  next  clay,  at  a  prayer-meeting,  the 
daughters  saw  their  mother  powerfully  converted  to 
God.  0  how  delightful  to  see  the  mother  embrac- 
ing her  (laughters,  and  all  of  them  exulting  in  the 
love  of  God  together — all  of  one  mind  and  of  one 
heart!  I  never  saw  a  revival  of  religion  progress 
more  regularly  than  in  this  place.  Conversions  have 
been  clear  and  powerful.  Indeed,  the  greater  por- 
tion of  the  whole  number  that  have  joined  on  pro- 
bation have  witnessed  a  good  confession  before  God; 
and  my  prayer  to  God  is  that  they  may  continue  so 
to  do  until  they  may  all  come  to  Mount  Zion,  where 
they  will  join  with  all  the  redeemed  in  the  chorus 
of  the  skies.  Since  the  former  accounts  which  I 
gave  you  of  the  revival  in  this  station  we  have  re- 
ceived into  the  Church,  on  probation,  one  hundred 
and  ten,  making  an  aggregate  of  one  hundred  and 
ninety  received  on  probation  since  the  work  com- 
menced. Our  prayer  is  that  the  good  work  may 
still  go  on  till  all  the  people  are  converted  to  God. 
My  soul  is  happy  while  I  write,  and  I  can  truly  say 
I  never  felt  more  like  weathering  out  the  storm  and 
grasping  the  crown  of  life  eternal  than  I  do  at  this 
time.     To  God  be  all  the  glory ! "  * 

In  the  Falmouth  Circuit,  where  Joel  Peak  trav- 
eled alone,  thirty  persons  joined  the  Church  before 
the  first  of  April;  and  in  the   Cynthiana  Circuit, 
^Western  Christian  Advocate^  Marc]?  9,  1838. 


228  Western    Cavaliers. 

under  the  ministry  of  James  D.  Holding,  a  revival 
occurred  at  Salem  Church,  in  which  several  Sunday- 
school  scholars  professed  religion  and  were  brought 
into  the  Church.  In  the  Cynthiana  Station,  the 
Church,  under  the  ministry  of  Hartwell  J.  Perry, 
enjoyed  a  gracious  season. 

James  C.  Crow  and  Thomas  R.  Malone  this  year 
traveled  on  the  Burlington  Circuit.  Mr.  Crow  was 
born  in  Adair  county,  Kentucky,  March  1,  1802. 
His  parents,  Thomas  and  Nancy  Crow  (formerly 
Nancy  Danley),  came  from  Virginia  to  Kentucky  at 
an  early  day,  and  settling  first  in  Adair  county,  re- 
moved at  a  later  period  to  the  county  of  Jefferson. 
Thomas  Crow  was  not  a  professor  of  religion,  but 
his  wife  was  a  Christian  woman  and  a  member  of 
the  Baptist  Church,  and  endeavored  to  bring  up  her 
children  "in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the 
Lord."  The  triumphant  death  of  a  brother,  when 
James  C.  Crow  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age, 
not  only  affected  his  heart,  but  turned  his  thoughts 
to  the  subject  of  religion.  The  funeral-sermon  of 
his  brother  was  preached  by  James  Ward,  and 
under  his  appeals  he  resolved  to  seek  the  Lord  at 
once. 

Leaving  home  for  the  purpose  of  learning  a  trade, 
he  became  an  apprentice  to  Samuel  Lyon,  a  local 
Methodist  preacher,  residing  in  Shelby ville,  whose 
business  was  that  of  a  house-joiner.  Here  he  had 
the  opportunity  of  attending  Church  regularly. 
Deeply  troubled  because  he  was  a  sinner  before  God, 
he  attended  a  camp-meeting  near  Charleston,  In- 
diana, where  he  was  converted. 


Western    Cavaliers.  229 

Speaking  of  this  great  change,  Mr.  Crow  says: 
"On  the  15th  of  August,  1820, 1  have  reason  to  be- 
lieve that  God,  for  Christ's  sake,  pardoned  my  sins. 
1  had  such  a  clear  and  satisfactory  view  of  the 
mercy  and  sufficiency  of  Christ  to  save  sinners  that 
I  thought  I  could  tell  everybody  just  how  to  get 
religion,  and  under  this  impression  I  commenced 
directing  penitents  to  look  to  Jesus,  the  Friend  of 
sinners.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  witnessing  ten  or 
twelve  conversions  within  a  few  hours  after  my 
own.  It  appeared  to  me  that  every  person  was 
going  to  be  religious;  for  all  things  had  become 
new,  and  all  was  glorious  within  and  without." 

The  impression  that  it  was  his  duty  to  call  sinners 
to  repentance  alarmed  him.  Without  the  advan- 
tages of  even  a  common  education,  and  possessed 
of  a  natural  diffidence,  he  was  unwilling  to  yield 
to  his  convictions.  The  struggles  of  nearly  three 
years  so  wrought  upon  his  mind  and  heart  that  he 
consented  to  receive  a  license  to  exhort,  and  two 
years  later  to  preach  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

In  1825  he  was  recommended  to  the  Kentucky 
Conference,  and  admitted  on  trial.  His  first  field  of 
labor  was  the  Somerset  Circuit,  as  the  colleague  of 
Thompson  Holliman.  Success  attended  the  minis- 
try of  these  faithful  men:  one  hundred  members 
were  added  to  the  Church. 

In  1826  he  traveled  on  the  Madison  Circuit,  under 
the  guidance  of  Josiah  Whitaker  as  the  senior 
preacher,  where  forty-two  persons  witnessed  a  good 
confession. 

In  the  autumn  of  1827  he  was  appointed  in  charge 


230  Western    Cavaliers. 

of  the  Cumberland  Circuit  (afterward  Goose  Creek 
Circuit),  with  George  W.  Martin  and  Richard  Bird 
as  his  colleagues.*  One  hundred  and  seventy-five 
additions  to  the  Church  were  reported  as  one  of  the 
results  of  this  year's  labor.  The  following  year  we 
find  him  on  a  portion  of  the  same  circuit  (yet  under 
the  same  name),  with  Joseph  G.  Ward  as  his  col- 
league, where  his  ministry  was  again  signally  blessed. 
During  this  year  Mr.  Crow  was  married  to  Xaney 
\V.  Whitaker — a  daughter  of  Josiah  Whitaker — a 
lady  well  qualified  for  the  responsible  position  she 
was  called  to  occupy. 

His  appointment  for  the  following  year  was  to 
the  Hinckstone  Circuit,  with  Hiram  Baker.  Mil- 
lersburg,  with  fourteen  other  appointments,  consti- 
tuted the  field  of  his  operations.  In  this  charge 
thirty-six  persons  joined  the  Church.  At  the  close 
of  this  year  he  located,  that  he  might  provide  a 
home  for  his  family. 

During  the  five  years  that  Mr.  Crow  had  traveled 
he  had  received  three  hundred  and  fifty-eight  mem- 
bers into  the  Church,  and  was  paid  for  his  services 
tiDO  hundn  d  and  forty-nine  dollars. 

After  sustaining  the  relation  of  a  local  preacher  to 
the  Church  for  two  years,  in  which  he  was  laborious 
and  useful,  he  returned  to  the  Conference,  and  was 
appointed  to  the  Burlington  Circuit,  where  he  re- 

*When  the  author,  ten  years  later,  traveled  Manchester 
Mission,  which  was  a  portion  of  the  old  Cumberland  Circuit, 
lie  frequently  heard  pleasant  allusions  to  the  appointment  of 
Messrs.  <  !row,  Martin,  ami  Bird — all  the  feathered  tribe  of  the 
( 'onference— to  the  Goose  Creek  Circuit. 


Western    Cavaliers.  231 

mained  for  two  years.  Although  he  had  labored 
with  rare  diligence  during  the  five  years  which  he 
spent  as  an  itinerant,  yet  he  returned  to  the  duties 
of  the  pastorate  with  even  a  stronger  purpose  of  ac- 
complishing good.  In  the  pulpit,  in  the  altar,  and 
in  his  pastoral  visits,  he  recommended  the  religion 
he  professed. 

We  next  follow  him  to  the  Mount  Sterling  Cir- 
cuit, with  Wilson  S.  McMurray  as  his  colleague, 
and  thence  to  the  Falmouth  Circuit. 

In  1836,  with  William  B.  Landrum,  he  traveled 
the  Georgetown  Circuit,  and  in  1837  his  appoint- 
ment is  the  Burlington  Circuit,  with  Thomas  B. 
Malone  as  his  colleague.  In  these  several  charges 
the  ministry  of  Mr.  Crow  was  greatly  blessed.  On 
the  Burlington  Circuit,  which  he  traveled  for  two 
years,  two  hundred  and  forty -one  persons  were  added 
to  the  Church;  on  the  Mount  Sterling,  thirty;  on  the 
Falmouth,  forty;  on  the  Georgetown,  fifteen;  and 
on  the  Burlington,  where  we  find  him  this  year,  one 
hundred  and  twenty -three.  He  received  for  his  sup- 
port during  these  seven  years  one  thousand  and  eleven 
dollars.  !N"o  man  in  the  Conference  at  this  period 
served  the  Church  more  faithfully  than  did  James  C. 
Crow,  and  but  few,  if  any,  received  a  more  meager 
support.  His  circuits  were  large,  and  frequently  in 
the  most  rugged  portions  of  the  State,  and  in  most 
instances  made  no  provision  whatever  for  the  sup- 
port of  his  family;  and  yet  mot  a  murmur  fell  from 
his  lips.  Almost  a  stranger  at  home,  he  prosecuted 
with  fidelity  the  duties  assigned  him,  and  every- 
where he  labored  gathered  sheaves  for  his  Master. 


232  Western   Cavaliers. 

Not  with  enticing  words  of  man's  wisdom,  but  with 
great  plainness  of  speech,  he  told  the  simple  story 
of  the  cross,  and  sinners  gathered  to  its  standard. 
With  the  small  support  he  received  he  managed  to 
avoid  pecuniary  embarrassment,  and  met  his  finan- 
cial obligations  with  commendable  promptness. 

The  total  increase  in  the  Lexington  District  was 
three  hundred  and  eighty  white  and  two  hundred.,  and 
eighty -eight  colored  members. 

Thomas  W.  Chandler  was  the  Presiding  Elder  in 
the  Augusta  District.  All  over  this  vast  field  the 
fires  of  religion  burned  brightly  on  the  altars  of  the 
Church.  Scarcely  a  community  could  be  found  on 
which  the  showers  of  grace  refused  to  fall.  Every- 
where sinners  were  sending  their  plaintive  cries  to 
Heaven  for  mercy,  and  everywhere  shouts  of  con- 
verted souls  filled  the  air. 

In  the  Fleming  Circuit — whose  preacher  was  the 
zealous  and  indefatigable  George  W.  Merritt — be- 
fore the  winter  passed,  some  prosperity  was  enjoyed. 
By  the  first  of  March  signs  of  a  general  revival 
were  very  apparent.  Throughout  the  work  an  in- 
terest on  the  subject  of  religion  was  awakened,  and 
in  midsummer  the  good  effects  were  manifest  in 
every  direction.  In  July  one  hundred  persons  were 
reported  as  having  been  added  to  the  Church/1' 

In  the  village  of  Augusta — one  of  the  principal 
appointments  in  the  Minerva  Circuit — at  a  quar- 
terly-meeting held  in  March,  thirty -six  persons 
joined  the  Church,  and  fully  that  number  "passed 
from  death  unto  life."  The  preachers  on  the  circuit 
^Western  Christian  Advocate,  July  26,  1838. 


Western    Cavaliers.  233 

were  Samuel  Veach  and  Foster  H.  Blades.  At  the 
meeting  in  Augusta,  Messrs.  Bascom,  Tomlinson, 
Trimble,  and  McCown,  composing  the  Faculty  in 
the  College,  preached  and  labored  in  the  altar. 

In  Maysville,  where  Thomas  K  Ralston  was  sta- 
tioned, at  a  meeting  which  closed  about  the  first  of 
June,  sixty-two  persons,  several  of  whom  were  heads 
of  families,  professed  religion  and  joined  the  Church ; 
while  in  the  Germantown  Circuit,  under  the  ministry 
of  Hiram  Baker  and  Thomas  Demoss,  two  hundred 
and  fourteen  persons  witnessed  a  good  confession 
and  identified  themselves  with  the  people  of  God. 

In  the  Millersburg  Circuit,  the  labors  of  Carlisle 
Babbitt  were  crowned  with  success.  The  second 
quarterly-meeting,  which  was  held  in  Millersburg, 
resulted  in  forty  additions  to  the  Church. 

In  the  Greenupsburg  Circuit,  under  the  ministry 
of  John  Waring  and  Jedidiah  Foster,  the  Church 
enjoyed  seasons  of  refreshing.  At  Mount  Zion,  in 
that  circuit,  at  a  meeting  held  in  April,  twenty-three 
persons  were  added  to  the  Church,  and  in  the  circuit 
during  the  year  three  hundred  and  eighty-four  names 
were  recorded. 

Wesley  G.  Montgomery — a  young  man  who  had 
just  entered  the  Conference — traveled  the  Little 
Sandy  Circuit,  where  his  ministry  was  owned  by  the 
Head  of  the  Church.  More  than  one  hundred  per- 
sons became  disciples  of  Jesus  Christ  before  the 
spring  months  passed  away. 

In  the  Augusta  District,  the  net  increase  was  six 
hundred  and  sixty-nine  in  the  white  membership,  and 
one  hundred  and  seventy-nine  in  the  colored. 


234  Western   Cavaliers. 

From  the  Augusta  District  we  turn  to  the  Har- 
rodsburg;  and  although  we  do  not  meet  with  the 
success  with  which  we  have  been  cheered  in  the 
former,  vet  throughout  the  District  we  are  per- 
mitted to  witness  gracious  outpourings  of  the  Holy 
Spirit. 

Absalom  "Woolliscroft  and  George  S.  Gatewood 
had  traveled  the  Madison  Circuit  the  previous  year, 
and  had  rejoiced  in  the  full  reward  of  their  effective 
labors.  At  the  Conference  of  1837  they  were  reap- 
pointed to  this  charge,  and  they  entered  upon  their 
work  with  the  same  zeal  that  had  distinguished 
their  ministry  the  year  before.  Hardly  had  they 
set  about  the  active  duties  of  the  campaign,  when 
indications  of  a  more  extensive  revival  than  they 
had  hitherto  witnessed  appeared  in  the  horizon. 
Congregations  increased,  the  prayer  and  class-meet- 
ings were  more  largely  attended,  and  the  subject  of 
religion  occupied  the  popular  thought.  The  good 
seed  which  was  then  sown  was  carefully  watched. 
Extraordinary  efforts  were  made  to  push  the  battle 
to  the  gates  of  the  enemy.  In  January  they  re- 
ported five  hundred  souls  converted  to  God,*  and 
the  work  still  progressing  in  every  direction.  John 
James,  the  Presiding  Elder,  about  the  last  of  March 
reports  that  "in  every  place  there  is  a  regular  in- 
crease. In  Harrodsburg  and  Danville  Station  many 
have  been  added  to  the  Church.  Danville  and  Win- 
chester Circuits  have  been  greatly  blessed,  and  all 
around  the  District  there  is  in  progress  a  most  glo- 
rious revival."     Mr.  Maffitt  had  affain  visited  liar- 

o 
*  Western  Christian  Advocate,  January  26,  1838. 


Western   Cavaliers.  235 

rodsburg,  and  was  instrumental  in  turning  many 
to  God.  On  the  22d  of  June  Edward  Stevenson 
reports  "good  meetings  in  both  places,"  and  at  the 
third  quarterly-meeting,  held  late  in  July,  in  Har- 
rodsburg,  seven  persons  became  members  of  the 
Church. 

In  the  Somerset  Circuit,  Albert  Kelly  received 
into  the  Church  more  than  one  hundred  persons. 

The  preachers  in  all  parts  of  this  District  labored 
with  unwonted  zeal;  but  none  of  them  displayed 
greater  energy  in  their  work  than  did  Napoleon  B. 
Lewis  and  William  McD.  Abbett.  Mr.  Lewis  had 
entered  the  Conference  in  1834,  but  had  traveled 
one  year  earlier  under  the  Presiding  Elder.  Al- 
though a  young  man,  as  a  preacher  of  a  high  order 
of  talent  and  as  a  zealous  and  successful  evangelist, 
he  had  taken  rank  with  the  first  men  of  his  age  in 
the  Conference,  and  promised  great  usefulness  to 
the  Church.  His  colleague,  Mr.  Abbett,  although 
in  the  noon-tide  of  life,  had  just  entered  the  field. 
His  preaching  abilities  were  far  above  mediocrit}-, 
and  his  devotion  to  the  Church  was  marked  by  cor- 
responding efforts  to  advance  the  cause  of  the  Re- 
deemer. Many  preachers  are  largely  indebted  to 
their  wives  for  their  success  in  the  ministry,  and  no 
one  was  more  obligated  in  this  respect  than  Mr. 
Abbett.  His  timidity  and  modesty  operated  against 
him.  On  his  pulpit  ability  he  placed  a  much  lower 
estimate  than  did  the  people  he  served,  and  fre- 
quently before  preaching  he  alluded  to  his  inade- 
quacy to  the  work  he  was  called  to  perform.  He 
had  preached  on  Sunday  evening,  in  the  village  of 


236  Western    Cavaliers. 

Stanford,  to  a  large  and  attentive  audience,  and  had 
made  one  of  his  happiest  efforts.  The  night  was 
dark,  so  that  in  returning  from  the  church  no  one 
could  be  distinguished.  The  voice  of  a  young  man 
was  recognized  by  a  comrade  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  street,  when  he  cried  to  him,  "Did  you  hear 

what  'Squire  P said  about  the  new  preacher?" 

"  No.  What  was  it? "  The  reply  was,  "  He  said  that 
fellow  should  not  practice  on  him  again,"  and  a 
merry  laugh  rang  out  on  the  evening  air.  The 
preacher  himself  was  too  near  not  to  hear  the  jest. 
Discouraged  and  depressed,  he,  however,  prosecuted 
his  work,  meeting  his  appointments  and  faithfully 
delivering  his  message. 

Spring  came.  The  winter  through  which  he  had 
passed  was  the  coldest  that  had  been  known  for  sev- 
eral years,  and  only  a  meager  support  had  been  re- 
ceived. Under  pecuniary  embarrassment,  and  with 
the  impression  that  the  work  of  the  ministry  could 
be  better  performed  by  some  one  else,  Mr.  Abbett 
resolved  to  abandon  the  itinerancy.  He  returned 
home,  expecting  to  retire  from  a  field  which  he  be- 
lieved himself  called  to  occupy,  and  to  spend  the 
remainder  of  his  life  in  a  local  sphere.  He  commu- 
nicated this  fact  to  the  Presiding  Elder,  who  used 
every  argument  to  dissuade  him  from  the  purpose  he 
had  formed,  urging  upon  him  an  immediate  return 
to  a  work  where  he  was  so  much  beloved.  The 
weeks  he  spent  at  home  were  weeks  of  inexpressible 
sadness.  He  could  neither  eat,  nor  sleep,  nor  work. 
Sympathy,  tears,  prayers,  all  failed  to  give  him  the 
comfort  he  so  ardently  desired. 


Western   Cavaliers.  237 

Words  of  cheer,  however,  fell  from  the  lips  of  his 
faithful  wife,  as  she  wept  and  prayed  with  him,  and 
pleaded  with  him  to  return  to  the  post  he  had  aban- 
doned. Unable  to  resist  her  earnest  appeals,  he 
yielded  to  her  persuasions,  and,  returning  to  his  cir- 
cuit, with  energy  and  zeal  pleaded  his  Master's  cause. 
A  few  weeks  later  Mrs.  Abbett  made  a  round  or 
more  on  the  circuit  with  her  husband,  holding  up 
his  hands  in  the  noble  work  to  which  he  had  pledged 
anew  his  energies  and  his  life.  In  every  neighbor- 
hood she  visited  she  made  friends  for  herself,  for  her 
husband,  and  for  the  cause  of  Christ,  which  she  so 
dearly  loved.  The  ministry  of  Messrs.  Lewis  and 
Abbett  was  greatly  blessed  in  the  awakening  of  sin- 
ners and  the  conversion  of  penitents.  Many  were 
added  to  the  Church. 

Notwithstanding  the  revivals  all  over  this  Dis- 
trict, the  net  increase  was  only  thirty-four  white  and 
one  hundred  and  twenty  colored  members. 

In  the  Hopkinsville  District,  the  reports  were 
more  encouraging.  As  early  as  January  George 
Switzer  reported  an  extraordinary  revival  in  the 
town  of  Franklin,  and,  indeed,  revivals  everywhere 
within  the  bounds  of  the  Bowling  Green  Circuit,  of 
which  he  had  charge.  On  the  26th  of  the  same 
month  Wiley  B.  Murphy,  the  junior  preacher,  held 
a  meeting,  at  which  twenty  persons  were  added  to 
the  Church.  Robert  Y.  McReynolds,  the  preacher 
on  the  Franklin  Circuit,  held  a  meeting  early  in 
March,  when  twenty-seven  persons  turned  to  the 
Lord.  In  the  Hopkinsville  Circuit,  Gilby  Kelly  and 
Andrew  J.    McLaughlin  were    notably    successful. 


238  Western   Cavaliers. 

Revivals  in  Hopkinsville,  Providence,  and  other 
parts,  signalized  their  labors.  Two  hundred  persons 
joined  the  Church,  seventy-two  of  whom  were  re- 
ceived by  the  junior  preacher  after  Mr.  Kelly  left 
for  Conference.  In  the  Princeton  Circuit,  John 
Xevius  announced  large  accessions  in  July,  and  later 
that  one  hundred  and  eighteen  had  been  added  to 
the  Church ;  while  in  the  Greenville  Circuit  a  "  good 
work  "  was  reported.  The  membership  in  the  Mad- 
isonville  Circuit,  under  the  ministry  of  Robert  G. 
Gardner  and  William  James,  was  largely  increased, 
and  revivals  blessed  the  Church  in  every  portion  of 
the  District. 

Among  the  young  men  in  the  Conference  who 
displayed  extraordinary  zeal,  Edwin  Roberts  was 
one  of  the  most  conspicuous.  His  appointment  was 
to  the  Morganfield  Circuit.  He  had  entered  the 
Conference  the  year  before,  and  had  been  useful  as 
junior  preacher  on  the  Hopkinsville  Circuit.  He 
was  sent  to  Morganfield  Circuit  alone,  and  his  en- 
trance on  his  work  was  unheralded.  His  dress  was 
plain:  he  wore  a  broad -brimmed  white  hat,  and 
none  of  his  apparel  was  of  the  costly  kind;  his  face, 
however,  was  commanding,  and  his  bearing  that  of 
a  gentleman. 

It  was  early  in  November  when  he  reached  his 
field  of  labor.  He  had  traveled  all  day,  meditating 
on  the  responsibility  of  the  work  to  which  he  had 
been  divinely  called.  The  shades  of  night  were  fast 
gathering  around  him  when  he  rode  up  to  the  gate 
in  front  of  an  elegant  farm-house,  where  one  of  his 
official  members  resided.     As  he  hailed,  the  lady  of 


Western    Cavaliers.  239 

the  house  appeared  at  the  front  door.     Mr.  Roberts 
inquired  for  her  husband. 

"He  is  not  at  home,"  replied  the  lady;  "do  you 
wish  to  see  him? " 

"I  do,  madam,"  said  the  young  preacher. 

With  that  courtesy  and  hospitality  for  which  the 
women  of  Kentucky  are  so  proverbial,  she  invited 
him  to  alight  from  his  horse  and  walk  into  the 
house,  adding:  "My  husband  is  somewhere  about 
the  farm,  and  will  be  here  soon." 

Dismounting,  and  fastening  his  jaded  horse  to  the 
rack,  and  throwing  his  well-worn  and  scantily-filled 
saddle-bags  over  his  arm,  the  well-formed  and  fine- 
looking  stripling  entered  the  yard,  and  with  wearied 
step  approached  the  dwelling,  conscious  that  he  was 
the  object  of  mingled  curiosity  and  suspicion.  On 
reaching  the  door  he  offered  the  lady  his  hand,  with 
the  remark: 

"  My  name  is  Roberts.  I  am  the  new  preacher  for 
the  circuit." 

A  clap  of  thunder  from  a  clear  sky  would  have 
produced  no  more  surprise  than  did  this  announce- 
ment. 

"You  our  new  preacher!"  exclaimed  the  lady, 
with  evident  amazement.  "Yon  our  new  preacher!" 
she  repeated,  with  emphasis.  "Why,  young  man, 
you  must  be  mistaken.  The  Bishop  usually  sends 
us — "  and  here  she  paused,  and  added:  "You  can- 
not be  our  new  preacher." 

During  this  interview,  which  was  brief,  the  young 
preacher  stood  at  the  door,  the  lady,  in  her  surprise, 
having  forgotten  to  invite  him  into  the  house.     Re- 


240  Western   Cavaliers. 

fleeting  a  moment,  she  said:  "Well,  come  in;  my 
husband  will  return  shortly,  and  he  will  see  about 
this  matter." 

Entering  the  house,  he  was  invited  into  a  richly- 
furnished  parlor,  where  he  was  left  to  his  own  re- 
flections, and  to  contemplate  the  prospects  before 
him  in  this  new  appointment.  What  those  reflec- 
tions must  have  been  in  the  mind  of  a  young  and 
sensitive  preacher — who  had  just  left  an  affectionate 
home,  with  the  kiss  of  mother  and  sisters  imprinted 
on  his  cheek,  and  the  "  God  bless  you"  of  friends 
and  loved  ones,  to  enter  with  fear  and  trembling 
upon  the  responsibilities  and  trials  of  the  itinerant 
ministry,  for  the  duties  of  which  he  keenly  felt  his 
inadequacy — can  only  be  imagined  by  those  who 
have  passed  through  the  same  ordeal,  or  whose  ob- 
servation has  made  them  acquainted  with  the  trials 
which  beset  a  young  preacher  of  tender  sensibilities. 

Anxious  to  know  how  he  would  be  received  by 
the  gentleman,  the  "new  preacher"  awaited  his  ar- 
rival with  emotions  he  could  not  describe.  He  did 
not  wait  long.  In  a  few  minutes  he  entered  the 
house,  accompanied  his  wife  into  the  parlor,  and 
was  introduced  to  Edwin  Eoberts. 

"Are  you  our  preacher?"  he  asked,  with  apparent 
sternness. 

"My  name  is  Edwin  Eoberts.  Bishop  Eoberts 
has  sent  me  to  the  Morganfield  Circuit  for  the  pres- 
ent year,  to  preach  to  the  people.  I  have  been  di- 
rected to  your  house  as  being  one  of  the  preachers' 
homes,  and  as  convenient  to  my  appointment  on 
to-morrow." 


Western   Cavaliers.  241 

While  Mr.  Roberts  was  making  this  plain  state- 
ment the  gentleman  observed  him  closely,  and,  fail- 
ing to  be  impressed  by  what  he  had  said,  expressed 
a  doubt  as  to  whether  the  young  man  had  been  ap- 
pointed to  the  Morganfield  Circuit.  His  doubts, 
however,  were  removed  when  Mr.  Roberts,  handing 
him  a  letter,  said: 

"Perhaps  this  letter  may  satisfy  you;  it  is  from 
Brother  Corwine,  my  Presiding  Elder.  I  left  him 
a  few  days  since.  Before  doing  so,  he  gave  me  this, 
and  requested  me  to  call  at  your  house  on  reaching 
the  circuit,  and  assured  me  that  in  you  1  would  find 
a  friend  and  a  brother." 

"  Feel  perfectly  at  home,  Brother  Roberts,"  said 
the  gentleman;  "you  shall  find  in  me  all  that 
Brother  Corwine  promised  you;"  and  then,  excusing 
himself,  he  left  the  room. 

The  stranger's  horse,  which  had  been  standing  at 
the  rack,  was  sent  to  the  stable  and  properly  cared 
for,  and  in  a  short  time  tea  was  announced;  after- 
ward family  prayers  were  held,  and  then  the  com- 
pany remained  in  the  parlor  until  bed-time,  spending 
the  hours  in  pleasant  and  profitable  conversation. 

A  history  of  the  life  of  the  young  preacher  was 
elicited  by  the  family;  the  struggles  through  which 
he  passed  in  entering  the  ministry  were  touchingly 
delineated,  and  anxiety  expressed  for  success  in  the 
charge  to  which  he  was  appointed. 

The    prejudices    of  the   family  had   measurably 

yielded  before  the  force  of  the  devoted  piety  and 

sterling  good  sense  so  manifestly  possessed  by  the 

guest.     Nevertheless,  there  lingered  a  sense  of  in- 

11 


242  Western    Cavaliers. 

jury  to  the  circuit  on  the  part  of  the  Bishop,  in 
sending  to  so  important  a  charge  a  young  and  inex- 
perienced man,  who  must  be  wholly  inadequate  to 
the  necessities  of  the  work. 

After  family  prayers  and  breakfast,  on  the  follow- 
ing morning,  the  young  preacher  retired  to  the 
Avoods  for  meditation  and  private  prayer,  but  re- 
turned to  the  house  in  time  to  start  to  the  church, 
which  was  not  far  distant.  On  approaching  the 
church  he  found  a  large  audience  assembled,  most 
of  whom  had  stopped  outside  the  house,  awaiting 
the  arrival  of  the  preacher.  He  passed  through  the 
crowd,  submitting  to  their  curious  gaze  and  their 
ill-suppressed  wonder.  He  walked  to  the  pulpit, 
and,  kneeling  down,  earnestly  invoked  aid  from  the 
gread  Head  of  the  Church.  Rising  from  his  knees, 
he  at  once  addressed  himself  to  the  work  he  had 
been  sent  to  do.  Among  the  last  who  came  in  were 
the  brother  and  sister  who  had  entertained  him  the 
previous  night. 

As  he  opened  the  service  he  could  distinctly  read 
upon  the  countenances  of  the  people  who  sat  before 
him  the  mingled  emotions  which  were  influencing 
them.  Many  had  come  to  see  and  hear  the  new 
preacher,  and  to  take  account  of  his  ability,  and  to 
compare  him  with  his  predecessor.  "Who  is  he?" 
could  not  be  answered,  for  nobody  seemed  to  know 
him.  "He  does  not  look  like  he  can  preach;  and, 
withal,  he  is  so  young." 

But  stop !  He  has  read  the  opening  hymn,  and 
read  it  well;  he  leads  the  singing  witli  a  clear,  mu- 
sical voice;  and  his  prayer  has  made  its  way  to  every 


Western    Cavaliers.  243 

willing  heart,  as,  deep-toned,  fervent,  spiritual,  it 
uprises  to  the  mercy-seat,  with  its  language  of 
thanksgiving,  and  confession,  and  supplication  for 
blessings  large  and  full  upon  the  congregation,  the 
circuit,  the  labors  of  the  newly-appointed  pastor. 
Another  of  the  songs  of  Zion,  with  a  rich,  beautiful 
chorus,  has  been  sung,  seemingly  inviting  and  com- 
pelling all  present  to  join  in  it.  The  text  has  been 
announced;  the  preacher  is  discussing  his  subject; 
lie  rises  with  his  theme;  an  unction  rests  upon  the 
pulpit,  and  reaches  to  the  pew;  a  shout  rolls  over 
the  assembly,  and  the  old,  the  middle-aged,  and  the 
young  are  charmed  and  captivated. 

To  follow  Edwin  Roberts  during  the  year,  on  the 
Morganfield  Circuit,  would  afford  real  pleasure;  to 
listen  to  him  as  the  people  are  convinced  by  the 
force  of  his  eloquent  logic,  or  as  he  thunders  upon 
them  in  his  overpowering  exhortations,  or  as  he 
melts  them  with  his  pathos,  or  attracts  them  heaven- 
ward by  the  luster  of  his  consistent  piety — all  ac- 
companied by  the  demonstration  and  power  of  the 
Holy  Spirit — would  be  a  happiness,  indeed.  Every- 
body in  the  circuit  loved  Edwin  Roberts.  His 
ministry  during  the  year  was  abundantly  favored — 
nearly  one  hundred  persons  being  converted. 

The  net  increase  in  the  Hopkinsville  District  was 
n  hundred  and  eighty-eight  in  the  white  member- 
ship, and  two  hundred  and,  six  in  the  colored. 

The  Greensburg  District  was  the  scene  of  many  a 
hard  conflict  and  of  many  a  glorious  triumph,  this 
year.  In  this  District,  the  Elizabeth  Circuit — with 
-Joseph  D.  Barnett,  who  had  traveled  it  the  previous 


244  Western    Cavaliers. 

year,  and  William  D.  Matting,  as  the  preachers — 
sounds  the  initial  note  of  triumph.  The  first  quar- 
terly-meeting was  held  in  Elizahethtown,  early  in 
March,  at  which  fifteen  persons  were  added  to  the 
Church,  and  all  along  the  year  revivals  crowned  the 
labors  of  the  preachers.  In  the  Columbia  Circuit, 
early  in  April,  Elijah  M.  Bosley  reported  fifty  addi- 
tions. In  the  Greensburg  Station,  under  the  pas- 
toral charge  of  George  W.  Taylor,  the  membership 
was  quadrupled.  In  the  Glasgow  Circuit,  James 
King  and  Alanson  C.  Dewitt  had  refreshing  times. 
In  the  Bardstown  Station,  Hubbard  H.  Kavanaugh 
was  eminently  successful;  while  in  the  Salt  River 
Circuit,  William  M.  Grubbs  and  Jesse  P.  Murrell 
were  instrumental  in  bringing  many  souls  to  Christ. 
The  Lebanon  Circuit,  to  which  Matthew  N.  Lasley 
had  been  returned,  continued  to  prosper  under  his 
faithful  ministry;  while  at  Burksville,  Robinson  E. 
Sidebottom  and  John  C.  C.  Thompson  gained  many 
stars  to  deck  the  crown  of  their  rejoicing.  Ed- 
mund M.  Johnson,  the  leader  on  the  Litchfield  Mis- 
sion, saw  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord  prospering  in  his 
hands. 

The  net  increase  in  the  Greensburg  District  was 
three  hundred  and  seventy-one  white  and  seventy-?? ecu 
colored  members. 

In  the  Barboursville  District,  the  zealous  and  un- 
tiring Richard  D.  TsTeale  was  the  leader.  This  Dis- 
trict embraced  six  charges,  and  spread  over  the  most 
rugged  section  of  Kentucky,  including  the  south- 
eastern part  of  the  State.  The  country  was  not 
only  rough  and  mountainous,  but  sparsely  settled. 


Western   Cavaliers.  245 

Mr.  Neale  was  a  model  man.  He  was  just  fifty 
years  old,  having  been  born  in  1787.  He  was  well 
formed  for  endurance,  and  possessed  a  fine  constitu- 
tion, while  his  snow-white  hair  hung  loosely  to  his 
shoulders.  With  a  countenance  full  of  benignity, 
and  a  heart  full  of  love  for  the  cause  of  the  Master, 
and  with  a  burning  zeal  for  the  salvation  of  souls,  he 
entered  upon  his  work  immediately  after  the  Con- 
ference closed.  His  energy,  which  nothing  could 
dampen,  inspired  the  preachers  of  his  District,  and 
urged  them  on  to  the  performance  of  duty. 

William  B.  Landrum  was  sent  to  the  Prestonsburg 
Circuit.  On  the  last  night  of  1837  he  commenced 
a  meeting  in  Prestonsburg,  at  which  two  persons 
were  converted.  Encouraged  by  this  success,  he 
prosecuted  his  labors  all  around  the  circuit,  until  in 
every  neighborhood  the  work  of  the  Lord  was  re- 
vived. 

On  the  Mount  Pleasant  Mission,  the  ministry  of 
William  M.  Crawford  was  rich  in  blessing:  nearly 
one  hundred  persons  were  added  to  the  Church. 
Andrew  Peace,  on  the  Barboursville  Mission,  re- 
ceived into  the  Church  about  seventy  members. 

Albert  H.  Pedford  was  the  youngest  preacher  in 
the  Barboursville  District — indeed,  the  youngest  in 
the  Conference.  He  was  appointed  to  the  Man- 
chester Mission.  His  field  of  labor  included  seven- 
teen appointments,  to  be  filled  in  three  weeks,  and 
extended  from  London,  by  the  way  of  Manchester, 
to  the  North  Fork  of  the  Kentucky  River.  In  en- 
tering upon  his  work  the  people  received  him 
kindly,  though  evidently  with    feelings  of  disap- 


246  Western   Cavaliers. 

pointment.  On  his  first  round  he  rode  up  to  the 
house  of  a  brother  where  preaching  was  expected 
that  day.  When  he  introduced  himself  as  the  new 
preacher,  the  old  brother  looked  at  him  for  a  mo- 
ment, and  then  said:  "Well,  jump  down,  my  little 
sonny,  and  run  into  the  house."  The  year  he  passed 
in  this  mission  was  a  pleasant  one,  and  the  kindness 
of  the  people  is  still  fondly  remembered.  His  min- 
istry met  with  but  little  success :  only  fifteen  persons 
were  added  to  the  Church  during  the  year. 

The  net  increase  in  the  Barboursville  District  was 
one  hundred  and  forty-two  white  and  forty  colored 
members. 

The  winter  months  of  the  year  had  passed,  but 
winter  itself  was  tardy  in  yielding  to  gentle  spring. 
At  this  time  a  young  preacher  was  returning  from  a 
mountain  mission,  to  visit  his  relations  in  Central 
Kentucky.  He  was  riding  a  sorrel  horse,  and  be- 
tween the  two  there  was  a  strong  attachment;  for 
together  they  had  often  endured  hardships,  and 
crossed  deep  and  turbid  streams.  The  rider  was 
plainly  dressed.  A  white  blanket  overcoat,  which 
had  been  his  only  covering  on  many  a  cold  and 
stormy  night,  was  thrown  around  him,  and  there 
was  nothing  in  his  appearance  to  prepossess  a 
stranger  in  his  favor.  He  had  just  passed  Mount 
Vernon,  and  was  jogging  along,  slowly  and  alone, 
when  he  heard  the  sound  of  a  horse's  feet  behind 
him.  A  stranger,  riding  at  full  speed,  was  overtak- 
ing him,  and  soon  they  were  side  by  side. 

The  stranger  was  a  young  man,  not  older  than 
the  preacher,  and  neither  had  attained  his  majority. 


Western    Cavaliers.  247 

He  was  elegantly  dressed:  his  coat  was  of  the  finest 
texture  and  latest  style;  his  vest  was  silk  velvet, 
and  his  pantaloons  the  smoothest  doeskin;  his  hat 
was  silk,  contrasting  well  with  the  white  fur  hat  of 
the  young  preacher,  and  his  polished  boots  covered 
a  delicate  foot;  around  his  neck  hung  a  gold  chain, 
to  which  his  watch  was  attached,  and  his  horse — an 
elegant  animal— was  beautifully  equipped. 

"How  are  you,  my  boy?"  was  his  salutation  to 
the  young  preacher. 

"  Sorter  middling"  was  the  reply. 

"Well,  my  boy,  where  do  you  live?"  he  inquired. 

"In  New  Kaintuck"  (for  so  the  mountain  region 
was  called),  the  young  preacher  answered. 

"What  is  your  name? "  was  the  next  question. 

"Fred  Brenning,  sir:  and  what  mout  be  your 
name?  ef  I  mout  be  so  bold  as  to  ax,"  rejoined  the 
preacher. 

«Mr.L ." 

"Mity  funny  name,  Mister.  Do  n't  you  think  it 
is?" 

"I  don't  know;  but  now,  Fred,  tell  me  where 
you  are  going." 

"I'm  gwine  to  the  settlements  of  Old  Kaintuck." 

"Will  you  not  get  lost?" 

"I  reckon  not,"  said  the  preacher.  "The  big 
road  I  'm  in  goes  there,  and  I  '11  jest  foller  it." 

"  But  sometimes  the  road  forks.  How  would  you 
know  which  way  to  go?" 

"Forks!     What's  that?" 

"A  road  forks  when  another  road  shoots  off  from 
the  main  road,  thus" — and  he  held  up  his  hands  so 


248  Western   Cavaliers. 

as  to  explain  what  he  meant  by  the  forks  of  a 
road. 

"  Yes,  I  see,"  said  the  preacher. 

"  Well,  what  will  yon  do  when  yon  come  to  where 
the  road  forks?" 

"Yon  know,  a  piece  of  plank  is  nailed  to  a  tree, 
p'inting  the  way;  well,  I'll  go  the  way  the  plank 
pints." 

"But  if  there  are  two  pieces  of  plank,  pointing  in 
different  directions,  how,  then,  do  you  do  ?" 

"  I  axes  at  the  blacksmith-shop." 

"Can  you  spell,  Fred?" 

"Spell?     I  guess  I  can." 

"  Spell  '  crucifix.'  " 

"K-r-u-s-e-fe-i-k-s." 

"That's  right!"  and  he  slapped  the  preacher  on 
the  shoulder.     "  You  are  a  smart  boy — " 

"That's  jest  what  clad  allers  sed;  he  sed  I  was 
smarter  'n  enny  on  his  children." 

"Are  there  any  other  children  besides  you,  Fred  ?  " 

"Enny  besides  me!  I'd  say  there  is — lots  of  'em — 
three  gals  and  five  boys.  Bad  says  I  'm  smarter  'n 
enny  on  'em" 

"I  have  no  doubt  that  you  are  the  smartest." 

"  Mr.  L ,  I  'd  like  to  ax  you  a  question." 

"What  is  it?" 

"Can  you  spell?" 

"  O  yes,  I  am  a  linguist." 

"Spell  'baker,'  'brier,'  'cider,'  'crazy,'  'cruel.'" 

He  spelled  each  word  correctly,  as  requested. 

"  Can  you  read,  Mr.  L ?" 

"  0  certainly.     I  said  I  am  a  linguist" 


Western    Cavaliers.  249 

"  Have  you  ever  ben  clean  through,  the  spellin'- 
book?" 

"  To  be  sure  I  have." 

"You've  ben  to  the  picturs,  then?" 

"Yes." 

"Well,  now,  tell  me,  wasn't  you  sorry  for  that 
little  feller  that  was  stealin'  apples ;  you  know  the  old 
feller  tried  to  skeer  him  with  grass,  but  he  could  n't 
come  it;  but  when  he  picked  up  the  dorniks  he 
fotched  him  down— did  n't  he,  Mr.  L ?" 

"Yes." 

"Then,  you  know  about  that  gal  what  was  car- 
ryin'  a  ceder-pail  of  milk  on  her  head,  and  was  gwine 
to  buy  her  a  green  gown,  and  the  pail  fell  and  spilt 
the  milk— wasn't  you  sorry  for  her,  Mr.  L ?" 

"The  most  latent  sympathies  of  my  heart  have 
always  been  awakened  in  her  behalf." 

u  Mr#  l ,  you  said  awhile  ago  you  was  a  thing 

— what  was  it?" 

" I  do  not  know  to  what  you  refer.  What  do  you 
mean  ? " 

"  The  thing  you  sed  you  was,  twice."    - 

"  I  have  no  idea  to  what  you  allude,  Fred.  O  yes, 
now  I  know — a  linguist." 

"Yes,  yes,  a  linguist.  low,  tell  me,  who  is  he?" 

"  A  Latin  and  Greek  scholar." 

"  0  my !     Say  some  Latin  for  me." 

"  'Dens  creavit  coelum  et  terrain  intra  sex  dies.  Primo 
die  fecit  jirmamentum.' " 

"Can't  I  say  that?" 

"I  reckon  not;  none  but  educated  gentlemen  can 
do  so." 

11* 


250  Western   Cavaliers. 

"  Well,  I  'm  edicated.  Dad  allers  seel  I  had  better 
book  larnin'  'an  enny  of  his  children." 

"If  yon  think  you  can  repeat  what  I  have  said, 
suppose  you  try  it" — Mr.  L repeating  it  himself. 

"'Deus  coravit  selorum  terrorum  sexes  dise. 
Pernio  ferment  urn.' " 

"Pretty  well  done,  Fred.     Try  it  again." 

Again  and  again  the  trial  was  made,  but  with  only 
the  same  success. 

"  Won't  you  say  that  other  feller  what  you  was?" 
asked  the  preacher. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ? " 

"You  called  him  Greek." 

"  0  yes.  'Apodos  0  katarate  ta  porthmia.  Boa  ei 
touto  soi  edion,  0  Charon' " 

"Who  ever  heered  the  like?  You  must  have 
mity  good  book  larnin'." 

"Yes,  Fred,  I  am  well  educated." 

"I'd  like  to  ax  you  where  you  live,  ef  you 
would  n't  mind  tellin'." 

"My  home  is  in  Garrard  county,  in  this  State. 
It  is  one  of  the  richest  and  best  counties.  My  father 
is  a  gentleman  of  wealth,  and  my  family  one  of  the 
most  influential." 

"I  reckoned  that,"  said  the  preacher,  "  ef  I  know 
the  meanin'  of  your  big  words.  When  will  you  get 
home?" 

"  This  evening,  about  dark." 

"  Then,  I  '11  go  home  with  you,  and  stay  all  night." 

"No,  no,  you  can't;  there  will  be  no  place  for  you 
to  sleep." 

"I  can  sleep  with  you." 


Western    Cavaliers.  251 

"Not  so;  my  brother  and  I  sleep  together." 

"Well,  I  can  sleep  in  the  middle." 

The  young  gentleman  peremptorily  declined  to 
take  the  uncouth  and  green  mountain  youth  home 
with  him,  but  scarcely  knew  how  to  get  rid  of  him. 
They  rode  some  distance  without  speaking,  when 
the  preacher  said: 

"How  would  you  like  to  trade  your  overcoat  for 
mine?" 

"  What  boot  will  you  give  me?" 

"A  quarter  of  a  dollar." 

"  We  can't  trade.  My  overcoat  is  a  line  one,  and 
cost  ten  times  as  much  as  yours." 

'•Mine  is  the  warmest,"  answered  the  preacher. 

In  the  midst  of  this  pleasant  conversation  a  rock- 
away  appeared  in  front  of  them,  in  which  sat  a 
solitary  traveler.  As  the  distance  between  him  and 
them  was  shortened,  he  was  recognized  by  the 
preacher.  It  was  Napoleon  B.  Lewis,  who  in  turn 
discovered  in  one  of  the  horsemen  his  young  friend, 
Brenning. 

"How  are  you,  Brother  Brenning?" 

"How  are  you,  Brother  Lewis?" 

"Now,  tell  me,"  said  Mr.  Lewis,  "how  you  are 
getting  along  in  your  mission-field.  How  do  you 
like  the  mountains?     How  are  my  friends  in  that 

country?     How  is  Col.  L *  and  family?    and 

where  are  you  going?" 


*Col.  L ,  to  whom  he  alluded,  was  a  prominent  politi- 
cian in  the  mountains.  He  was  a  special  friend  of  Mr.  Lewis, 
and  had  shown  him  great  kindness.  He  was  also  a  friend  of 
the  young  preacher. 


252  Western   Cavaliers. 

Before  answering  these  questions  Mr.  L was 

introduced  to  Mr.  Lewis  by  young  Brenning  as  the 
nephew  of  the  gentleman  about  whom  and  family 
such  special  inquiry  had  been  made. 

The  questions  were  then  answered  as  rapidly  as 
possible,  when  the  friends  separated. 

The  two  young  men  resumed  their  journey;  but 
more  than  a  mile  was  traveled  before  a  word  was 
spoken  by  either  of  them.  The  silence,  which  had 
become  quite  painful,  was  at  length  broken  by  Mr. 
L : 

"  Did  I  understand  from  Mr.  Lewis  that  you  are  a 
Methodist  preacher  and  a  missionary  in  the  mount- 
ain region  of  the  State?" 

"I  am  a  Methodist  preacher  and  a  missionary  in 
the  mountain  region  of  the  State." 

"I  think,  Mr.  Brenning,  that  you  have  treated 
me  very  unkindly  in  not  telling  me  who  you  were 
when  I  first  came  up  with  you.  It  would  have  saved 
me  from  the  mortification  that  I  now  must  neces- 
sarily endure.  I  mistook  you  for  a  green  mountain 
youth,  and  concluded  that  I  would  have  some  fun  at 
your  expense." 

"And  I  took  you  for  a  pert  young  man,"  replied 
the  preacher,  "whose  eye-teeth  had  not  been  cut, 
and  I  deemed  it  a  kindness  to  cut  them.  I  thought, 
too,  there  might  be  some  fun,  but  not  at  my  expense. 
Besides,  your  honored  uncle,  in  the  mountains,  has 
shown  me  much  kindness,  and  I  knew  of  no  other 
way  of  paying  the  debt  of  gratitude  I  owe  him  than 
by  teaching  his  nephew  a  lesson  that  would  not  be 
easily  forgotten." 


Western   Cavaliers.  253 

"I  would  be  glad  for  you  to  go  home  with  me, 
and  stay  all  night,  Mr.  Brenning." 

"  There  is  no  place  for  me  to  sleep." 

"You  can  sleep  with  me." 

"  I  thought  your  brother  sleeps  with  you." 

"Ay,  but  you  can  sleep  in  the  middle." 

The  preacher  thanked  him  for  the  invitation,  but 
declined  going,  as  it  would  take  him  several  miles 
out  of  his  way.  They  were  now  within  a  short  dis- 
tance of  the  Crab  Orchard,  where  they  were  to 
separate. 

"My  young  friend,"  said  Brenning,  "we  have 
been  incidentally  thrown  together.  We  are  both  in 
the  rosy  morn  of  life,  and  many  years  may  lie  be- 
tween us  and  the  grave,  or  we  may  die  early.  The 
first  step  that  a  young  man  takes  in  life  should  be  a 
step  toward  the  cross.  What  preparation  have  you 
made  for  the  hereafter?" 

"None  whatever,"  was  the  reply.  "I  believe  in 
the  truth  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  certainly  in- 
tend to  be  a  Christian;  but  I  am  young,  and  the 
world  offers  me  many  inducements  to  pursue  its 
pleasures  for  awhile.  At  some  future  time  I  will 
turn  my  thoughts  to  this  subject,  and  become  a  fol- 
lower of  Christ." 

"  So  thought  Felix,  when  he  trembled  under  the 
preaching  of  an  apostle,  and  answered,  '  Go  thy  way 
for  this  time;  when  I  have  a  convenient  season,  I 
will  call  for  thee.'  The  convenient  season,  so  far  as 
wo  know,  never  came.  You  have  no  future  time; 
the  present  alone  is  yours.  You  may  improve  the 
time  you  have,  or,  if  unimproved,  there  may  be  to 


254  W  e  s  t  e  e  n    Cavaliers. 

you  no  future  when  you  may  turn  to  God.  Our 
Heavenly  Father  says,  'My  son,  give  me  thine  heart,' 
and  'Seek  ye  first  the  kingdom  of  God  and  his 
righteousness.'  Seek  God,  give  him  your  heart, 
and  in  his  service  you  will  find  joys  that  will  never 
fade,  exceeding  far  all  that  the  world,  with  its 
myriad  fleeting  pleasures,  can  offer  you." 

The  young  stranger  made  no  reply.  Tears  stole 
gently  down  his  fair  face,  and  his  lips  quivered  with 
emotion. 

"Will  you  be  a  Christian?"  continued  .Brenning. 
"Without  religion  there  is  no  true  happiness  in  this 
life,  no  solace  in  a  dying-hour,  and  no  felicity  beyond 
the  grave.  Will  you  be  a  Christian?"  he  repeated, 
with  emphasis.  "  Jesus  died  to  save  you.  Will  you 
not  love  him?" 

The  young  man  took  the  preacher's  hand,  and 
said : 

"  Mr.  Brenning,  I  am  glad  that  I  met  with  you,  and 
thank  you  most  sincerely  for  your  good  advice.  I 
will  try  and  do  as  you  have  requested.  I  am  satis- 
fied that  there  is  no  other  path  to  happiness  but 
the  one  you  admonish  me  to  pursue.  Yours  is  the 
better  life.     Will  you  pray  for  me?" 

As  he  uttered  these  words  the  tears  flowed  more 
freely  down  his  face.  The  young  travelers  then 
bade  each  other  farewell.  Perhaps  good  seed  were 
sown. 

While  Methodism  was  enjoying  such  splendid 
triumphs  in  the  Kentucky  Conference,  there  was  in 
that  portion  of  the  State  lying  in  Jackson's  Pur- 
chase a  decrease  of  sixty  white   and  four  colored 


Western   Cavaliers.  255 

members.  The  Wadesboro  Circuit,  under  the  min- 
istry of  Johnson  Lewis,  shows  a  small  increase,  but 
in  the  Hickman  and  Paducah  Circuits  a  falling  off  is 
reported. 

The  increase  in  the  Kentucky  Conference  was  two 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  seventy-four  white  and 
one  thousand  and  eighty-four  colored  members.  After 
deducting  the  decrease  in  Jackson's  Purchase,  it 
leaves  a  net  increase  of  two  thousand  eight  hundred 
and  fourteen  white  and  one  thousand  and  seventy-nine 
colored  members. 


256  Western   Cavaliers. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FKOM  THE  SESSION  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CONFERENCE  OF 
1838  TO  THE  CONFERENCE  OF  1839. 

Now,  then,  the  ceaseless  shower 

Of  gospel  blessings  send, 
And  let  the  soul-converting  power 

Thy  ministers  attend. 
On  multitudes  confer 

The  heart-renewing  love, 
And  by  the  joy  of  grace  prepare 

For  fuller  joys  above. 

THE  session  of  the  Kentucky  Conference  of  1838 
met  in  Danville,  October  17.  Bishops  Waugh 
and  Morris  were  both  present. 

Bishop  Waugh  opened  the  Conference  by  reading 
a  portion  of  God's  word.  Singing  and  prayer  fol- 
lowed, after  which  the  Bishop  addressed  the  Confer- 
ence in  reference  to  the  work  in  which  they  were 
engaged. 

Beverly  Waugh  was  born  in  Fairfax  county,  Vir- 
ginia, October  25,  1789.  When  fifteen  years  of  age 
he  became  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  was  converted  about  the  same  time. 
The  impression  that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the 
gospel  of  Christ  was  strong  and  abiding,  and  in  1809 


Western    Cavaliers.  257 

he  entered  the  Baltimore  Conference,  under  the 
conviction  that  if  he  pursued  any  other  calling  the 
salvation  of  his  soul  would  he  imperiled. 

His  first  appointment  was  to  the  Stafford  and 
Fredericksburg  Circuit,  lying  in  his  native  State,  as 
junior  preacher.  In  1810  he  was  placed  in  charge 
of  the  Greenbrier  Circuit.     At  the  Conference  of 

1811  he  was  stationed  in  Washington  City,  and  in 

1812  he  was  appointed  to  Stephensburg.  From 
Stephensburg  we  follow  him  to  the  city  of  Balti- 
more, and  from  thence  to  the  Montgomery  Circuit, 
where  he  labored  for  two  years.  In  1816  he  trav- 
eled on  the  Berkeley  Circuit.  In  1817  we  find  him 
again  in  Washington  City,  and  in  1818  in  Baltimore. 
In  1819  and  1820  he  had  charge  of  Fell's  Point, 
Baltimore,  and  in  1821  and  1822  of  Georgetown,  in 
the  District  of  Columbia.  Frederick,  Maryland,  was 
the  field  of  his  ministry  in  1823  and  1824.  At  the 
Conference  of  1825  he  was  returned  to  Baltimore 
City  Mission,  where  he  remained  two  years,  and  in 
1827  his  appointment  was  East  Baltimore.  He  was 
elected  Assistant  Book  Agent  in  1828,  and  in  1832 
the  principal  Book  Agent.  During  the  eight  years 
of  his  agency  his  name  appeared  in  the  Minutes  of 
the  S'ew  York  Conference,  his  election  consituting 
him  a  member  of  that  body,  as  the  rule  then  was. 
In  1836  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  Bishop,  to  the 
duties  of  which  he  was  well  adapted. 

When  Bishop  Waugh  visited  Kentucky,  in  1838, 
he  was  unknown  to  the  members  of  the  Conference, 
with  the  exception  of  those  who  had  met  him  at  the 
General  Conference.    His  urbanity  and  his  fine  social 


258  W  e  s  t  e  r  n   Cavaliers. 

qualities  soon  introduced  him  to  the  entire  body, 
while  his  zeal  and  devotion  to  the  cause  of  God  en- 
deared  him  to  every  heart.  He  presided  with  ease 
and  dignity. 

Greorge  MeXelly  was  elected  Secretary,  and  Isaac 
Collard  Assistant  Secretary. 

The  Committee  on  Public  Worship  consisted  of 
John  James  and  Edward  Stevenson.  John  Chris- 
tian Harrison,  Henry  !N".  Vandyke,  and  John  Beatty, 
were  appointed  Stewards  of  the  Conference. 

Committees  were  appointed  as  follows:  William 
Gunn  and  Thomas  Waring,  on  Memoirs;  Henry  E. 
Pilcher,  Thomas  1ST.  Ralston,  and  William  B.  Lan- 
drum,  on  "the  business  of  the  Eastern  Book  Con- 
cern;,?  Richard  Tydings,  Edward  Stevenson,  and 
Hubbard  IT.  Ivavanaugh,  on  "  the  affairs  of  Augusta 
College;"  Peter  Taylor,  William  Holman,  and 
Robert  Y.  McRe3rnolds,  on  "necessitous  cases;"  and 
Hubbard  IT.  Kavanaugh,  Edward  Stevenson,  Rich- 
ard Tydings,  William  Holman,  and  George  W. 
Taylor,  to  prepare  "  a  pastoral  address." 

Before  the  close  of  the  morning  session  Bishop 
Morris  was  invited  to  take  the  chair.  No  Bishop  in 
the  Church  was  so  well  known  in  Kentucky  as 
Thomas  A.  Morris.  Several  years  of  his  ministry 
were  passed  in  the  State,  where  he  labored  with 
fidelity  and  success.* 

At  the  time  Bishop  Morris  took  the  chair  the 
Conference  was  eno'ao-ed  in  the  examination  of  the 
character  of  elders.     The  remainder  of  the  morning 

*  For  a  sketch  of  Bishop  Morris,  see  "  Methodism  in  Ken- 
tucky," vol.  iii.,  pp.  136-141. 


Western    Cavaliers.  259 

session  was  occupied  by  this  question  and  the  adop- 
tion of  a  resolution,  that  "Friday,  the  19th  hist.,  be 
observed  by  the  Conference  as  a  day  of  fasting  and 
prayer  for  the  continued  prosperity  of  the  work  of 
God  within  our  bounds;"  and  "that  the  Christian 
community  be  invited  to  participate  in  this  religious 
service." 

During  the  remainder  of  the  session  the  two 
Bishops  occupied  the  chair  alternately. 

At  the  previous  Conference  Mr.  Bascom  was  ap- 
pointed to  preach,  at  this  session,  a  sermon  on  the 
Ministry.  Mr.  Tomlinson,  at  the  same  time,  was 
appointed  to  deliver  an  address  on  Education,  and 
Mr.  Stamper  a  sermon  on  Missions. 

Mr.  Bascom  was  not  present  during  the  session  of 
the  Conference,  and  Mr.  Kavanaugh  was  requested 
to  preach  the  sermon  on  the  Ministry.  He,  how- 
ever, declined  the  honor,  the  allotted  time  being  too 
short  to  enable  him,  in  connection  with  other  duties, 
to  prepare  the  sermon. 

The  address  on  Education  was  delivered  on  Sat- 
urday, October  20.  It  was  a  masterly  effort.  For 
more  than  an  hour  the  distinguished  speaker  held 
an  immense  concourse  in  rapt  silence  by  his  graphic 
treatment  of  the  inspiring  theme.  On  the  following 
Tuesday  the  Conference  requested  Mr.  Tomlinson  to 
furnish  a  copy  of  his  address  for  publication  in  the 
Western  Christian  Advocate. 

The  sermon  on  Missions,  preached  by  Jonathan 
Stamper,  was  alike  worthy  of  the  preacher  and  the 
occasion.  The  revolt  of  the  world  from  its  rightful 
Sovereign,  its  redemption  through  the  sufferings, 


260  Western    Cavaliers. 

death,  and  mediation  of  Jesus  Christ,  its  conversion 
to  God,  and  the  final  salvation  of  the  pure  and  holy 
in  heaven,  were  the  topics  on  which  the  preacher 
dwelt. 

God  had  created  man  holy.  All  the  lineaments 
of  his  moral  nature  resemhled  those  of  his  Creator. 
Pure,  even  as  God  is  pure,  he  came  forth  from  his 
hands,  wearing  his  likeness  and  image.  Placed  in 
Eden,  where  every  source  of  happiness  was  to  he 
found,  the  expectation  was  a  reasonable  one  that  a 
corresponding  obedience  would  mark  his  conduct. 
The  insidious  tempter  invaded  this  pleasant  retreat, 
and  our  globe  became  a  prodigal  in  the  family  of 
worlds.  Our  progenitors  lifted  the  arm  of  rebellion 
against  Jehovah,  and  thus  forfeited  all  claim  to  his 
favor,  and  all  right  to  the  paradise  amid  whose 
bowers  they  had  found  such  delight.  Eden  had 
been  the  home  of  Adam;  he  had  wandered  along 
the  banks  of  the  river  that  watered  its  beautiful 
grounds;  he  had  drunk  from  the  purling  streams 
that  broke  forth  from  granite  lips;  he  had  gathered 
from  trees  always  pendent  with  delicious  fruit;  he 
had  mingled  with  the  inferior  creation  as  their  lord 
and  sovereign ;  he  had  talked  with  angels,  conversed 
with  Jehovah,  and  reposed  amid  the  shades  of  para- 
dise, beneath  the  deep  blue  sky,  when  the  sheen  of 
the  silvery  moon  and  the  nickering  lights  of  the 
starry  hosts  told  of  a  brighter  world;  but  now  he 
must  bid  adieu  to  all  these  scenes  of  loveliness,  and 
go  out  into  a  world  made  desolate  by  his  transgres- 
sion. "  Therefore  the  Lord  God  sent  him  forth  from 
the  garden  of  Eden,  to  till  the  ground  from  whence 


Western   Cavaliers.  .261 

lie  was  taken.  So  he  drove  out  the  man:  and  he  placed 
at  the  cast  of  the  garden  of  Eden  cherubims,  and  a 
flaming  sword  which  turned  every  way,  to  keep  the 
way  of  the  tree  of  life." 

Hitherto  man  had  shown  no  disposition  to  meas- 
ure arms  with  God;  perhaps,  until  now  he  had  not 
awakened  to  a  consciousness  of  his  true  condition. 
God  had,  however,  commanded  him  to  leave  Eden; 
and   thoughts   of  its   beautiful    bowers,"  its    shady 
groves,  its  crystal  waters,  its  golden  fruits,  and,  above 
all,  the  companionship  of  his  Maker,  rush  upon  his 
fevered  brain,  and  he  refuses  to  obey  the  command, 
and  God  drives  him  out.     Perhaps,  in  the  deep  soli- 
tude into  which  he  is  driven  he  may  find  some  relief 
from  the  bitter  anguish  which  is  crushing  his  guilty 
soul.     Where  shall  he  look  for  consolation?     Will 
the  serpent,  whose  persuasions  had  led  to  the  fearful 
catastrophe,  offer  a  solace?     He  no  longer  stands 
erect,  nor  speaks,  as  in  the  garden,  but,  crawling  in 
the   dust,  responds   in   angry  hisses,  and  spits  his 
venom  in  the  face  of  avenging  Heaven.     His  wife— 
the  woman  whom  God  had  given  him— no  more, 
with  genial  smile  and  confiding  trust,  leans  on  his 
stalwart    arm    and   whispers  words   of  cheer,  but, 
doomed  to  sorrow,  he  sees  written  upon  her  once 
sweet  face  traces  of  grief  and  the  curse  of  God.    He 
turns  to  the  animal  creation,  and  they,  no  longer 
docile,  with   one    accord   attack   him   with    savage 
cruelty,  or  flee  from  him  as  from  a  deadly  foe.     The 
earth  on  which  he  treads,  just  now  so  beautiful  is 
curse. 1,  and  thorns  and  thistles  spring  up  in  every 
direction.     He  thinks  of  the  fruitage  of  Eden,  that 


262  Western    Cavaliers. 

so  often  had  chased  away  hunger,  a,nd  which  had 
heen  procured  without  an  effort;  but  now  he  must 
eat  of  the  herb  of  the  field,  and  earn  his  bread  by 
the  sweat  of  his  brow.  As  he  treads  upon  the  dust 
the  stern  decree  is  ever  before  him :  "  Dust  thou  art, 
and  unto  dust  shalt  thou  return."  He  looks  above, 
and  the  heavens,  once  so  bright,  are  clad  with  the 
garniture  of  death :  from  the  horizon  to  the  zenith 
black  and  angry  clouds  spread  over  all  the  sky, 
while  forked  lightnings  flash  and  muttering  thun- 
ders peal  their  deafening  notes.  But  will  not  the 
grave  terminate  these  sorrows?  ~No;  on  him  is  the 
stamp  of  immortality,  and  he  cannot  be  blotted  from 
existence.  He  looks  beyond,  and  no  voice  beckons 
him  to  the  skies,  but  an  eternal  night,  in  realms  of 
woe,  awaits  him.  Is  he  the  only  sufferer?  Looking 
down  the  stream  of  time,  he  beholds  the  unborn 
millions  of  his  hapless  progeny  involved  in  the 
common  ruin  with  himself.  Eden  is  yet  in  sight, 
and  angels,  with  folded  wings,  are  hovering  over  it. 
Once  more  he  turns  toward  its  pleasant  shades,  and 
fain  would  reenter  the  gate  through  which  he  had 
been  driven;  but  there  stand  sentinels — the  cheru- 
bim and  flaming  sword,  placed  by  God  himself, 
whose  authority  he  dares  not  defy.  Despair  settles 
upon  his  guilty  heart  as  he  turns  away ;  for  all  seems 
lost.  But,  listen!  The  Trinity  in  council  has  as- 
sembled and  resolved  on  the  world's  recovery  to 
God. 

You  would  inquire  into  the  cost  of  the  world's 
redemption.  We  reply:  "For  God  so  loved  the 
world  that   he   gave  his   only-begotten    Son,  that 


Western   Cavaliers.  263 

whosoever  believeth  in  him  should  not  perish,  hut 
have  everlasting  life."  The  conception  of  the  plan 
was  the  grandestthat  ever  entered  the  Divine  Mind. 
Its  enunciation  thrilled  the  heavenly  legions  with 
joy,  and  gladdened  a  world  made  desolate  by  sin. 

'T  was  great  to  speak  a  world  from  naught, 
'Twas  greater  to  redeem. 

When  announced  in  Eden,  amid  the  ruins  of  the 
fall,  that  a  redemptive  scheme  was  provided  for  our 
race,  man  on  earth  and  devils  in  hell  were  aston- 
ished; from  lip  to  lip  of  the  shining  host,  with  elec- 
tric flash,  the  inquiry  passed,  How  can  God  be 
propitiated?  and  angels  damned  reechoed  through 
all  the  realms  of  night,  How  can  God  be  propiti- 
ated? while,  trembling  and  silent,  our  progenitors 
were  regaled  with  the  breezes  of  mercy,  as  their 
whisperings  were  heard  amid  the  bowers  of  para- 
dise. 

Would  you  learn  the  cost  of  the  world's  redemp- 
tion? See  the  types,  and  forms,  and  shadows,  and 
sacrifices  of  the  Old  Testament  economy;  think  of 
the  immaculate  Jesus — God's  beloved  Son — leaving 
the  splendors  of  heaven,  and  coming  down  to  earth 
to  live,  to  suffer,  and  to  die;  think  of  Gethsemane — 
its  tears,  its  groans,  its  agony;  think  of  Calvary 
— its  spotless  Victim,  his  sufferings,  and  his  death. 
For  three  dreadful  hours  anguish  more  intense  than 
the  universe  had  ever  known  is  endured  on  the 
cross.  The  guilt  and  pollution  of  ages,  past,  present, 
and  to  come,  are  crushing  his  soul  with  all  theii 
ponderous  weight.     "  My  God,  my  God,  why  hast 


264  Western   Cavaliers. 

thou  forsaken  me?  "  falls  with  inexpressible  sadness 
from  his  dying  lips.  0  God,  was  he  not  thy  Son? 
and  where  arc  thy  thunderbolts?  Wilt  thou  not 
come  to  his  rescue?  His  Father's  face  is  hid.  "He 
treads  the  wine-press  alone,  and  of  the  people  there 
were  none  with  him."  Jehovah's  arm,  though  om- 
nipotent, must  not  interpose.  Justice,  stern  and 
unpitying,  with  piercing  eye  and  naming  tongue,  de- 
mands the  uttermost  farthing.  The  celestial  hosts 
stand  aghast,  angels  droop  their  wings,  and  all  the 
harps  of  heaven  pla}T  mournful  odes.  The  sun  veils 
his  face  in  the  gloom  of  night,  the  earth  trembles  to 
its  base,  creation  groans,  and  many  of  the  graves 
around  Jerusalem  are  unpeopled.  0  see  the  suffer- 
ing Jesus!  behold  his  pierced  side,  and  on  his  drip- 
ping hands  and  on  his  bleeding  heart  read  the  cost 
of  the  world's  redemption  !  The  atonement  is  made, 
and  God  is  reconciled.  "It  is  finished!"  falls  from 
his  expiring  lips,  and  reaches  heaven.  The  arms  of 
a  Father's  love  encircle  a  despairing  world;  once 
more  angels  peal  their  notes  of  joy  and  sweep  their 
harps  of  gold;  for  a  wandering  and  lost  star  has 
been  restored  to  its  orbit,  a  fallen  planet  has  been 
recovered,  a  world  has  been  redeemed,  and  the 
gospel  is  to  be  preached  to  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth. 

But  has  the  gospel  succeeded  in  its  mission?  The 
progress  of  Christianity  in  the  apostolic  age  of  the 
Church  excites  our  wonder  and  challenges  our  ad- 
miration. "Beginning  at  Jerusalem,"  as  on  the 
wings  of  the  wind,  the  gospel  spread  in  every  direc- 


Western   Cavaliers.  265 

tion.  The  persecution  in  which  Stephen  lost  his 
life  resulted  in  the  dispersion  of  the  followers  of 
Christ,  carrying  with  them  in  their  exile  lives  pure 
and  spotless,  as  well  as  the  unadulterated  doctrines 
of  the  word  of  God.  Added  to  this,  the  apostles, 
with  a  zeal  commensurate  with  the  woes  of  man- 
kind, went  everywhere,  preaching  the  gospel  of  the 
kingdom.  Not  only  were  Jndea,  and  Samaria,  and 
Perea,  and  Galilee  to  listen  to  the  story  of  the  cross, 
but  beyond  the  boundaries  of  Palestine  the  Church 
was  commissioned  to  win  trophies  to  the  Redeemer. 
The  cities  and  villages  of  the  Holy  Land  heard  the 
joyful  sound,  and  all  along  the  waters  of  the  Medi- 
terranean, from  Berytus  to  Anthedon,  converts  were 
made  from  Judaism  to  Christianity.  Strangers  in 
strange  lands,  we  find  the  followers  of  Christ  scat- 
tered throughout  Pontus,  Galatia,  Bithynia,  and  Cap- 
padocia,  embracing  all  the  country  between  Mount 
Taurus  and  the  Euxine  Sea;  while  in  the  western 
part  of  Asia  Minor,  the  cities  of  Laodicea,  Philadel- 
phia, Ephesus,  Sardis,  Smyrna,  Thyatira,  and  Per- 
gamos,  Churches  were  planted  and  prayers  and 
praises  offered  to  God.  Passing  into  Greece,  Cor- 
inth bows  to  the  scepter  of  Christ;  while  on  the 
rivulets  of  Ilissus  and  Cephisus,  in  its  proud  capital, 
on  Mars'  Hill,  in  the  presence  of  the  Areopagus,  and 
in  sight  of  the  Parthenon,  and  surrounded  by  the 
temples  of  Theseus,  and  of  Bacchus,  and  of  Jupiter 
Olympus,  and  the  temple  of  Victory,  and  the  grotto 
of  Apollo  and  Pan,  and  hard  by  the  prison  where 
Socrates  had  been  confined,  and  from  which  he 
was  led  to  his  tragic  fate — there  Paul  the  apostle 
12 


266  Western    Cavaliers. 

proclaimed  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Invading  the 
Roman  Empire,  the  apostles  planted  the  standard 
of  the  cross  on  the  banks  of  the  Tiber,  and  found 
votaries  to  the  Christian  faith  not  only  in  the  capi- 
tal of  Italy,  but  in  the  imperial  household.  From 
Jerusalem  round  about  to  Illyricu.m,  on  the  eastern 
coast  of  the  Adriatic  Gulf,  St.  Paul  preached  the 
gospel.  It  was  carried  to  the  Parthian  Empire  by 
Peter,  to  Arabia  by  Paul  and  Bartholomew,  and  by 
Thomas  into  India.  The  Evangelist  Mark  bore  its 
truths  into  Alexandria,  and  from  thence  it  was  taken 
to  Cyrene.  From  Rome  it  was  carried  to  Carthage 
and  to  Proconsular  Africa.  It  made  its  appearance 
in  Gaul,  in  Germany,  in  Britain,  and  in  Spain. 
Wherever  it  went  pagan  temples  were  closed,  oracles 
were  struck  dumb,  idols  were  overthrown,  and  sin- 
ners recovered  from  the  grasp  of  Satan,  and  placed 
as  jewels  in  the  crown  of  Christ.  Like  scattered 
lights  along  the  sky,  or  like  islands  of  beauty  amid 
surrounding  darkness,  at  this  early  period  the  influ- 
ence of  Christianity  was  felt  and  its  blessings  dis- 
pensed throughout  the  civilized  world. 

Mr.  Stamper  traced  the  history  of  the  Church — 
its  conflicts  and  its  triumphs  in  the  Roman  Empire 
— through  the  dark  ages,  until  Wiclif  appeared, 
"standing  out  in  solitary  grandeur — a  lone  star  on 
the  brow  of  a  long  and  gloomy  night."  He  told  of 
Luther,  and  Melanchthon,  and  Zwingle,  of  the  full- 
orbed  splendor  of  the  Reformation  that  set  all  Ger- 
many ablaze,  and  sent  its  brilliant  light  beyond  the 
German  Confederation;  the  decline  of  religion  after 
the  death  of  Luther;  the  great  revival  in  England, 


Western   Cavaliers.  267 

Ireland,  and  Wales,  under  the  Wesleys  and  White- 
field,  and  the  conquests  of  the  Church  in  the  New 
World. 

Contemplating  the  future  of  the  Church,  the 
preacher  was  full  of  hope.  The  Macedonian  cry  is 
heard  from  every  direction,  "Come  over  and  help 
us !  "  Almost  every  nation  is  opening  wide  its  doors 
tor  the  reception  of  the  gospel.  The  enemies  of  the 
cross,  it  is  true,  arc  not  asleep.  Paganism,  in  giant 
proportions,  in  the  presence  of  her  temples  and  her 
gods,  has  renewed  her  oath  of  eternal  enmity  to 
Christ;  infidelity,  with  brazen  front,  appears  in  the 
field  of  battle;  ritualism  and  sacramentalism,  wear- 
ing their  masquerade,  are  anxious  to  revive  their 
waning  heritage;  philosophy  and  vain  deceit  are 
arming  for  the  struggle;  and  idolatrous  worship 
everywhere  is  making  bare  its  arm  against  the  ad- 
vancing glories  of  the  Church.  Christianity,  too, 
is  awake.  Fresh  from  conquered  fields,  and  holding 
in  its  hands  trophies  gathered  from  every  clime, 
with  the  memory  of  a  thousand  victories  to  inspire 
afresh  its  ardor,  it  enters  upon  the  final  contest. 
Under  the  command  of  Him  who  never  lost  a  battle, 
before  its  moving  columns  the  serried  legions  of 
sin  are  broken,  and  upon  the  ramparts  of  the  enemy 
its  ensign  floats  to  the  breeze.  On,  on,  it  presses, 
with  unbroken  front,  bearing  down  every  thing  that 
opposes  its  march,  its  enemies  bowing  to  its  scepter, 
or  following  as  captives  its  triumphal  advance.  Its 
success  will  be  complete;  nothing  shall  arrest  its 
progress. 

The   preacher  then   called  upon  the  Conference 


268  Western   Cavaliers. 

and  the  Church  to  bear  their  part  in  this  glorious 
struggle:  that  God  would  not  allow  them  to  he  in- 
active.  The  world's  conversion  will  be  effected,  he 
said,  whether  we  assist  or  not;  the  work  will  go  on. 
Shall  we  stand  with  folded  arms  while  others  are 
pressing  to  the  rescue  ?  "  Curse  ye  Meroz,  curse  ye 
bitterly  the  inhabitants  thereof."  For  what  ?  What 
lias  Meroz  done?  "Because  they  came  not  to  the 
help  of  the  Lord,  to  the  help  of  the  Lord  against  the 
mighty." 

The  Bishop  appointed  Mr.  Bascom  to  preach  on 
Education,  at  the  ensuing  Conference,  Mr.  Kava- 
naugh  on  the  Ministry,  and  Mr.  Stevenson  on  Mis- 
sions. 

Bishop  Waugh  laid  before  the  Conference  the 
following  resolution  from  the  New  England  Con- 
ference, which  he  prefaced  by  saying  that  he  did 
not  admit  the  authority  of  an  Annual  Conference 
to  make  him  the  bearer  of  any  resolution  which 
was,  in  his  judgment,  not  only  not  promotive  of 
the  interests  of  the  Church  at  large,  but  injurious 
to  its  union  and  prosperity;  but  that,  in  the  present 
case,  as  a  matter  of  courtesy,  he  would  present  the 
resolution,  as  requested  by  the  New  England  Con- 
ference, especially  as  he  understood  that  his  col- 
leagues would  pursue  the  same  course.  He  also 
said  that  in  principle  and  habit  he  was  opposed  to 
shivery,  nor  was  he  less  decidedly  and  unequivocally 
opposed  to  Abolitionism.  In  submitting  the  reso- 
lution, he  expressed  the  belief  that  its  tendency  was 
revolutionary  and  injurious: 

"Resolved,  That  the  New  England  Annual  Con- 


Western    Cavaliers.  269 

ference  recommend  to  the  next  General  Conference, 
to  be  holden  in  the  city  of  Baltimore,  May,  1840,  to 
alter  onr  general  rule  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  so 
that  it  shall  read  as  follows :  '  The  buying,  or  selling, 
or  holding  men,  women,  or  children  as  slaves,  under 
any  circumstances,  or  giving  them  away,  unless  on 
purpose  to  free  them.'" 

The  Conference  unanimously  disapproved  of  the 
resolution. 

The  Bishop  very  plainly  foresaw  the  evil  tendency 
and  disastrous  results  of  the  policy  of  Abolitionists; 
and  hence,  in  submitting  the  resolution,  he  prop- 
erly and  promptly  rebuked  the  New  England  Con- 
ference. He  not  only  thought  that  the  prosperity 
of  the  Church  would  be  retarded  by  the  officious 
intermeddling  of  this  Conference  with  an  institu- 
tion for  the  existence  of  which  New  England,  and 
not  the  South,  was  responsible,  but  he  expressed 
the  belief  that  the  union  of  the  Church  would  be 
imperiled. 

The  institution  of  slavery,  as  it  existed  in  the 
South-western  and  Southern  States — the  mildest 
form  the  world  had  ever  known — had  been  recog- 
nized on  the  part  of  the  Church  in  the  North  as  well 
as  in  the  South,  not  only  by  Conference  resolutions, 
but  by  the  enactments  of  the  General  Conference. 
The  restless  and  incendiary  spirit  of  Abolitionism 
resolved  that  though  the  Church  should  be  dismem- 
berecl  and  broken  into  fragments,  and  the  nation 
drenched  in  blood,  it  would  persist  in  its  policy  so 
long  as  the  institution  existed.  Not  only  was  the 
harmony  of  the  Church  in  the  slave-holding  States 


270  Western   Cavaliers. 

disturbed  by  those  ecclesiastical  agitators,  but  the 
quiet  of  some  of  the  Northern  Conferences  was  also 
greatly  marred. 

A  resolution  was  adopted,  "  approving  of  the 
publication,  in  connection  with  the  Western  Book 
Concern,  of  the  Christian  Apologist,  under  the  ed- 
itorial supervision  of  the  Rev.  William  Xast,"  and 
pledging  the  Conference,  as  far  as  practicable,  to 
promote  its  circulation,  especially  among  the  Ger- 
man population  in  the  State. 

The  tide  of  emigration  from  Germany  had  set  in, 
and  thousands  were  landing  on  our  shores.  While 
some  of  them  were  truly  religious,  the  great  ma- 
jority of  them  were  without  any  well-defined  re- 
ligious faith.  The  Reformation  of  the  sixteenth 
century  had  its  origin  in  Germany,  through  the  in- 
strumentality of  Martin  Luther,  a  young  priest. 
Its  splendor  was  soon  full-orbed,  but  the  blaze  of 
its  glory  had  died  away,  and  Germany  no  longer 
held  the  place  it  once  occupied  on  the  map  of 
Christian  nations. 

On  reaching  America  these  foreigners  were  met 
by  Romish  priests,  who  placed  in  their  hands  a  lit- 
erature that  would  not  only  poison  their  minds  and 
lead  them  farther  away  from  God,  but  would  effect- 
ually close  their  hearts  against  the  truth  forever. 
The  duty  of  Protestant  Christians  was  obvious,  and 
the  Methodist  Church — the  most  popular  and  influ- 
ential Church  in  the  United  States — would  be  un- 
true to  its  mission  if  it  should  not  lead  in  the  effort 
to  save  the  Teutonic  population. 

Quite  a  number  of  Germans  had  selected  the  city 


W e ste  r  n    Cavaliers.  271 

of  Louisville  as  their  home,  and  the  obligation  of 
the  Kentucky  Conference  to  supply  them  with  all 
the  facilities  within  their  power  was  apparent.  Xo 
better  method  suggested  itself  than  to  place  in  their 
hands  a  religious  weekly  paper,  which,  by  its  influ- 
ence and  teachings,  would  bring  them  to  Christ. 

Mr.  Xast  was  a  German,  an  accomplished  gentle- 
man, a  ripe  scholar,  and,  above  all,  a  devoted 
Christian.  He  knew  the  character  of  his  country- 
men, and  perhaps  no  other  man  in  the  Methodist 
Church  was  better  qualified  to  exert  a  salutary  in- 
fluence over  this  people. 

In  a  previous  chapter  we  referred  to  the  impulse 
given  to  the  cause  of  Missions  by  the  sermon  of 
Bishop  Andrew,  preached  in  Shelby ville  in  1835. 
Since  then  the  Church  occupied  a  more  elevated 
plane,  and  the  collections  had  annually  improved, 
reaching  this  year  the  handsome  sum  of  $5,539.80. 
Of  this  amount  William  Holman  collected  from  the 
Lexington  Station  $174,  John  Carr  Harrison  $112, 
from  Versailles,  and  John  Beatty,  from  Georgetown, 
$109.25.  In  the  Augusta  District,  the  Millersburg 
Circuit  sent  to  the  Conference,  by  Carlisle  Babbitt, 
$500 — the  largest  amount  contributed  by  any  charge 
— while  its  neighbor,  the  Paris  Circuit  (which  was 
left  to  be  supplied),  paid  over  $321.22.  Samuel 
Veach  collected,  in  the  Minerva  Circuit,  8200;  Hi- 
ram Baker,  in  the  Germantown  Circuit,  $117;  and 
John  Waring  $116.50,  in  the  Greensburg  Circuit. 
The  largest  amount  collected  in  the  Harrodsburg 
District  was  $190.25,  and  was  sent  from  Mount 
Sterling  by  Joseph  Marsee.     Thomas  Rankin,  from 


272  Western   Cavaliers. 

Winchester  Circuit,  collected  $148.25,  and  Absalom 
Woolliscroft  $130.50,  from  Madison.  In  the  Louis- 
ville District,  the  Hardinsburg  Circuit  sent,  by  Daniel 

S.  Barksclale,  $200;  Richard  Tydings  collected,  from 
the  Fourth-street  Station,  in  Louisville,  8156;  and 
George  W.  Brush  $118,  from  Brook-street.  The 
Jefferson  Circuit,  where  Richard  Deering  had  charge, 
contributed  $150. 62|,  while  Science  Hill  Female 
Academy,  in  Shelby ville,  sent  $120.  Hopkinsville 
Circuit,  in  Hopkinsville  District,  through  Grilby 
Kelly,  the  pastor,  sent  to  the  Conference  $101.  In 
the  Greensburg  District,  Joseph  D. Barnett  collected, 
in  the  Elizabeth  Circuit,  $411;  William  M.  Grubbs, 
in  the  Salt  River  Circuit,  $245.75;  James  King,  in 
the  Glasgow  Circuit,  $201;  Matthew  X.  Lasley,  in 
the  Lebanon  Circuit,  $197.75;  Elijah  M.  Bosley.  in 
the  Columbia  Circuit,  $173.50;  Hubbard  H.  Kava- 
naugh,  in  Bardstown,  $158.50;  and  George  W. 
Taylor,  in  Greensburg,  $102. 

We  have  mentioned  only  the  charges  in  which 
one  hundred  dollars  or  more  was  contributed  to  tins 
noble  cause.  In  adding  the  entire  amount  received, 
including  the  sums  under  one  hundred  dollars,  we 
find  the  contribution  by  Lexington  District  to  be 
$173.90;  Maysville  District,  $1,421.59J;  Harrods- 
burg  District,  $708;  Louisville  District,  $939.37; 
Hopkinsville  District,  $281;  Greensburg  District, 
§1,638.50;  Barboursville  District,  $77.43J.  Total, 
$5,539.80. 

Four  thousand  nine  hundred  and  five  dollars  and 
sixty-nine  cents  was  contributed  toward  the  support 
of  the  superannuated  preachers,  and  the  widows  and 


Western   Cavaliers.  273 

orphans  of  preachers,  and  to  make  up  the  deficien- 
cies of  those  who  had  not  obtained  their  regular 
allowance  on  the  circuits. 

Allen  Sears,  George  W.  Simcoe,  Peter  0.  Meeks, 
Valentine  C.  Holding,  Stephen  A.  Rathbun,  Elihu 
Green,  Peter  Duncan,  David  H.  Davis,  William  II. 
Anderson,  Elkanah  Johnson,  and  Kathanael  H.  Lee, 
were  admitted  on  trial. 

Of  those  who  had  entered  the  Conference  the 
previous  year,  Wright  Merrick  and  Jesse  P.  Murrell 
asked  to  be  discontinued  on  account  of  ill  health. 

Henry  McDaniel,  Lorenzo  D.  Parker,  Thomas 
Lasley,  Foster  H.  Blades,  Silas  Lee,  Hiram  Baker, 
William  Helm,  and  Milton  Jamieson,  located. 

Thomas  II.  Gibbons  had  died  during  the  year* 
By  a  resolution  of  the  Conference,  Hubbard  H. 
Kavanaugh  was  requested  to  preach  a  sermon  in 
his  memory. 

We  have  in  the  Conference  eight  Districts,  in- 
stead of  seven,  as  the  year  before.  Isaac  Collard, 
who  had  traveled  the  Logan  Circuit,  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  Augusta  District.  Thomas  W.  Chand- 
ler was  changed  from  the  Augusta  to  the  Covington 
District.  Jonathan  Stamper,  whose  previous  field 
of  labor  was  the  Greensburg  District,  was  sent  to 
the  Shelbyville  District.  John  James,  whose  term 
of  office  had  expired  on  the  Harrodsburg  District, 
became  the  leader  in  the  Bowling  Green  District. 
George  W.  Taylor  was  changed  from  the  Greens- 
burg Circuit  to  the   Harrodsburg  District;    while 

*A  sketch  of  Thomas  II.  Gibbons   may  be  found   in  the 
"History  of  Methodism  in  Kentucky." 
12* 


274  Western    Cavaliers. 

Benjamin  T.  Crouch,  William  Gunn,  and  Richard 
D.  Eeale,  were  returned  to  the  fields  they  had  occu- 
pied the  previous  year. 

In  looking  over  the  appointments,  we  find  Wil- 
liam Holman  returned  to  Lexington,  Thomas  !N". 
Ralston  to  Maysville,  Samuel  Veach  to  Minerva, 
Carlisle  Babbitt  to  Millersburg,  John  Waring  to 
Greenupsburg,  Joseph  Marsee  to  Mount  Sterling, 
John  W.  Riggin  to  Sharpsburg,  Edward  Stevenson 
to  Danville  and  Harrodsburg,  Richard  Tydings  to 
Fourth  -  street  in  Louisville,  George  W.  Brush  to 
Brook -street,  Robert  G.  Gardner  to  Madisonville, 
Edwin  Roberts  to  Morganfield,  James  King  to  Glas- 
gow, and  William  M.  Grubbs  to  Salt  River.  The 
preachers,  with  these  exceptions,  were  changed  in 
their  appointments. 

The  Conference,  throughout,  was  pleasant  and 
harmonious,  and  the  preaching  was  of  a  high  order. 
Bishop  Waugh,  although  a  stranger,  won  upon  the 
hearts  of  the  preachers  and  the  community,  and 
Bishop  Morris  left  Danville  with  increased  popu- 
larity. 

The  pulpit  in  the  Methodist  Church  was  occupied, 
on  Sunday,  at  eleven  o'clock  by  Bishop  Waugh, 
and  at  three  o'clock  by  Bishop  Morris.  Both  ser- 
mons were  extraordinary.  That  of  Bishop  Waugh 
was  addressed  to  the  preachers,  while  Bishop  Morris 
preached  to  the  people.  For  one  hour  and  fifteen 
minutes  the  former,  with  a  power  we  have  seldom 
witnessed,  stirred  the  hearts  of  the  preachers,  urging 
them,  by  virtue  of  their  high  calling,  of  their  re- 
sponsibility to  God,  and  of  the  peril  of  the  multi- 


Western    Cavaliers.  275 

tudes  exposed  to  Jehovah's  wrath  and  journeying  to 
the  grave  and  to  hell,  to  be  faithful  embassadors  for 
J esus  Christ.  Neither  sunshine  nor  storm,  heat  nor 
cold,  the  applause  of  the  people  nor  the  persecutions 
of  the  world,  must  obstruct  the  path  of  duty.  With 
the  one  purpose  of  doing  good,  he  exhorted  them  to 
greater  earnestness  and  fidelity  in  the  work  to  which 
God  had  called  them. 

The  sermon  of  Bishop  Morris  occupied  about 
thirty  minutes.  His  subject  was  the  nature  and 
importance  of  conversion,  and  it  fell  like  the  gentle 
dews  of  heaven  upon  the  hearts  of  the  large  and  at- 
tentive assembly. 

The  missionary  meeting,  held  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church  on  Saturday  evening,  was  a  decided  success. 
The  principal  speaker  was  Mr.  Kavanaugh.  The 
collection  was  a  good  one. 

Several  preachers,  on  their  way  to  the  Conference 
at  Danville,  stopped  for  dinner  at  a  plain  country 
house,  between  Salvisa  and  Harrodsburg.  Benja- 
min T.  Crouch  was  among  them.  The  gentleman 
and  his  wife  both  gave  them  a  kind  reception,  and 
entertained  them  with  the  hospitality  for  which  the 
people  of  Kentucky  have  always  been  celebrated. 
Religion  was  the  theme  of  conversation  at  the  table, 
among  the  preachers,  and  their  interchange  of  sen- 
timent was  listened  to  with  silent  but  rapt  attention 
by  the  several  members  of  the  family.  Immediately 
on  leaving  the  table  the  guests  were  invited  to  have 
prayers,  alter  which  the  gentleman  went  to  the  stable 
for  their  horses.  Before  he  returned  to  the  house 
Mi\  Crouch  said   he  would   like  to  know  to  what 


276  Western   Cavaliers. 

Church,  if  any,  the  family  belonged.  One  of  the 
preachers  suggested  that  they  were  Presbyterians, 
another  that  they  were  Baptists,  and  a  third  that 
they  were  Campbellites,  while  a  fourth  expressed 
the  belief  that  they  were  members  of  the  Methodist 
Church.  A  young  preacher  present,  who  had  given 
no  opinion,  was  asked  by  Mr.  Crouch  to  tell  what 
he  thought. 

"  Their  family  Bible,"  he  replied,  "  will  give  you 
the  information  you  wish." 

"How  so?"  asked  Mr.  Crouch,  at  the  same  time 
handing  the  Bible  to  the  young  preacher  from  the 
small  table  by  which  he  was  sitting. 

The  young  preacher  replied:  "In  reading  the 
Bible,  the  portion  of  it  which  indicates  the  denom- 
inational preference  of  a  family  will  be  more  soiled 
than  the  other  parts.  For  example:  if  a  man  be  a 
Campbellite,  the  second  chapter  of  The  Acts  of  the 
Apostles  will  show  his  religious  tendency;  if  he  be 
a  Presbyterian,  the  ninth  chapter  of  Romans  is  his 
favorite;  if  he  be  a  Free-will  Baptist,  the  damaged 
appearance  of  the  eighth  chapter  of  Acts  and  the 
sixth  of  Romans  betrays  his  preference;  if  he  be  a 
Calvinistic  Baptist,  to  these  two  chapters  he  adds 
the  ninth  of  Romans." 

"But  if  he  be  a  Methodist,"  said  Mr.  Crouch, 
"what  then?" 

"If  he  be  a  Methodist,"  said  the  young  preacher, 
"  the  Bible  has  been  read  regularly  from  Genesis  to 
Revelation." 

■•  Now  tell  us,"  said  Mr.  Crouch,  "to  what  Church 
this  family  belongs." 


Western   Cavaliers.  277 

The  Bible  was  opened  at  the  several  places  speci- 
fied, and,  after  a  brief  examination,  the  young  man 
said:  "The  eighth  chapter  of  Acts  and  the  sixth 
and  ninth  of  Romans  are  more  defaced  than  any 
other  parts;  the  gentleman  who  lives  here  is  a 
Hard-shell  Baptist." 

A  moment  later  the  host  himself  appeared  at  the 
door,  when  Mr.  Crouch  inquired  of  him,  "To  what 
Church  do  you  and  your  family  belong?" 

"We  are  Iron-jacket  Baptists"  he  replied.  The 
interpretation  was  correct. 

The  extensive  revivals  with  which  the  Church  in 
Kentucky  had  been  blessed  during  the  two  years 
which  had  just  closed  more  than  repaired  the  losses 
previously  reported.  The  year,  however,  on  which 
these  cavaliers  are  now  entering  will  give  additional 
luster  to  their  arms. 

The  first  note  of  triumph,  after  the  close  of  the 
Conference,  is  heard  from  the  Mount  Sterling  Cir- 
cuit, in  the  Lexington  District.  Joseph  Marsee, 
who  had  been  successful  in  that  charge  the  pre- 
vious year,  was  returned  to  the  same  field.  He  had 
scarcely  entered  upon  the  labors  of  his  favored 
charge  when  the  good  work  began  afresh,  and 
within  a  few  weeks  ninety-nine  persons  were  added 
to  the  Church. 

Although  there  were  "times  of  refreshing"  during 
the  winter,  in  other  portions  of  the  same  District, 
yet  there  was  no  general  revival  until  the  opening 
of  spring.  Albert  Kelly  had  charge  of  the  Burling- 
ton Circuit,  with  Absalom  W^oolliscroft — who  sus- 
tained a  supernumerary  relation — as  his  colleague. 


278  Western   C  a  v  a liers. 

On  the  17th  of  May  they  reported  two  hundred  ac- 
cessions to  the  Church,  up  to  that  time.  A  little 
later  in  the  year  Jeremiah  Strother — a  popular  and 
useful  local  preacher — reported  ninety  conversions 
in  the  Carrol lton  Circuit,  to  which  Thomas  Hall 
had  been  sent. 

The  first  revival  reported  from  the  Augusta  Dis- 
trict was  in  the  Fleming  Circuit,  under  the  ministry 
of  Peter  O.  Meeks,  a  young  man  of  fine  culture,  of 
more  than  ordinary  promise,  and  of  deep  piety. 
Although  the  work  of  grace  in  that  charge  was  not 
extensive,  yet  profitable  meetings  were  held  all  over 
the  circuit,  and  up  to  the  first  of  June  thirty-three 
persons  had  joined  the  Church.  The  Germantown 
Circuit,  under  the  ministry  of  John  Xevius  and 
Stephen  A.  Rathbun,  continued  to  prosper,  while 
Josiah  "Whitaker  was  instrumental  in  doing  much 
good  in  the  Lewis  Circuit.  The  "pleasure  of  the 
Lord  prospered  in  the  hands"  of  the  faithful  Jedi- 
diah  Foster,  in  the  Little  Sandy  Circuit;  while  the 
vigilant  and  earnest  James  C.  Crow,  on  the  High- 
land Circuit,  was  eminently  successful  in  winning 
souls  to  Christ. 

In  the  Covington  District,  Robert  Y.  McReynolds 
reported  a  gracious  revival  in  Newport,  as  early  as 
the  14th  of  December,  at  which  twenty-two  persons 
joined  the  Church.  The  interest  continued  all  the 
winter,  during  which  time  sixty-six  persons  became 
the  professed  followers  of  Christ.  In  most  of  the 
charges  in  this  District  a  decrease  is  reported  for 
this  year;  yet,  through  a  faithful  ministry,  hundreds 
were  brought  to  Christ. 


Western    Cavaliers.  279 

For  three  years  Benjamin  T.  Crouch  had  been  the 
leader  on  the  Louisville  District.  No  cavalier  in 
the  service  had  been  more  faithful,  and  none  held  a 
warmer  place  in  the  affections  of  either  his  brother 
soldiers  or  the  people  he  served.  In  the  city  of 
Louisville,  the  previous  year,  under  the  ministry  of 
George  W.  Brush  and  Richard  Tydings,  hundreds 
had  been  brought  into  the  fold  of  Christ.  Other 
portions  of  this  District,  as  we  have  seen  in  the  pre- 
ceding chapter,  had  been  favored  with  revivals  of 
religion.  The  present  year,  however,  in  the  power 
and  extent  of  the  work,  would  surpass  any  of  the 
years  that  had  gone  before. 

In  other  parts  of  the  State  the  ministry  of  John 
Newlancl  Maffitt  had  been  greatly  blessed.  Indeed, 
wherever  he  had  labored  sinners  had  been  awakened 
and  penitents  converted  to  Grod;  in  every  commu- 
nity where  he  had  unfurled  the  banner  of  the  cross 
many  had  sought  a  shelter  beneath  its  crimsoned 
folds.  Immediately  after  the  Conference  closed  Mr. 
Tydings  invited  him  to  Louisville,  to  assist  him  in  a 
meeting  in  Fourth-street  Church.  He  continued  in 
Louisville  several  months,  preaching  the  gospel  with 
the  fidelity  and  zeal  for  which  he  was  distinguished. 
As  early  as  the  4th  of  January  Mr.  Tydings  reports 
more  than  one  hundred  conversions  under  his  minis- 
try, and  on  the  first  of  February  W.  M.  Meriwether, 
in  a  letter  to  the  Christian  Advocate,  announces  that 
one  hundred  and  seventy-eight  persons  had  wit- 
1 1 1  sssed  a  good  confession .  On  the  22d  of  February  a 
characteristic  letter  was  written  by  Richard  Tydings, 
which  appeared  in  the  same  paper  of  March  15.    He 


280  Western    Cavaliers. 

wrote :  "  Say  to  the  friends  of  Zion  that  the  work  of 
the  Lord  is  still  going  on  in  this  city.  The  whole 
city,  from  the  center  to  the  circumference,  seems  to 
be  moved  by  the  mighty  influence  of  divine  truth. 
The  high,  the  low,  the  rich,  the  poor,  are  coming 
home  to  Christ,  by  scores  and  hundreds.  Since  the 
revival  commenced,  in  November  last,  about  three 
hundred  and  sixty  white  and  one  hundred  and 
thirty  colored  have  been  received  in  the  Fourth- 
street  Station,  in  this  city,  and  the  glorious  work  is 
still  going  on.  Such  a  work  for  the  union,  peace, 
and  comfort  of  the  Church,  reclaiming  backsliders, 
and  the  awakening  and  ingathering  of  penitent  be- 
lieving sinners  into  the  fold  of  Christ,  I  think  I 
have  never  witnessed  before  during  the  thirty  years 
of  my  labor  in  the  traveling  ministry.  I  have  seen 
many  glorious  revivals,  but  this  exceeds  any  I  have 
ever  known.  Indeed,  it  seems  to  me  that  the  long- 
looked-for  millennium  is  about  to  blaze  forth  in  all 
its  splendor  and  glory;  for  the  blessed  work  is  going 
on  in  every  direction  around  us."  Such  a  letter  is 
well  worthy  the  grand  old  man  who  had  given  his 
life  to  this  noble  work.  A  few  weeks  later  "W.  M. 
Meriwether  writes  again,  and  says:  "Five  hundred 
persons  have  been  converted  and  added  to  the 
Church."  The  revival  was  not  confined  to  the 
Fourth-street  charge.  The  Brook-street  Church,  the 
prosperity  of  which  exceeded  that  of  the  Fourth- 
street  the  previous  year,  still  enjoyed  the  divine 
favor.  The  ministry  of  Mr.  Brush  was  again  very 
successful. 

This  extraordinary  revival  in  the  city  of  Louisville 


Western    Cavaliers.  281 

was  but  the  dawn  of  a  better  day  for  the  entire  Dis- 
trict. In  the  Hardinsburg  Circuit,  in  charge  of 
Joseph  D.  Barnett,  with  Albert  II.  Redford  as  his 
colleague,  a  revival  commenced  at  a  Christmas  meet- 
ing, held  at  Big  Spring,  at  which  nine  persons  pro- 
fessed religion.  The  year  before  Daniel  S.  Barksdale 
and  Moses  Levi  were  exceedingly  successful  in  that 
field.  Through  their  instrumentality  hundreds  were 
brought  into  the  Church.  After  the  Christmas 
meeting,  besides  an  occasional  conversion  and  addi- 
tion to  the  Church,  nothing  remarkable  occurred  in 
the  circuit  during  the  winter.  The  congregations, 
however,  were  large  and  attentive.  Whether  the 
preachers  held  service  during  the  week  or  on  Sun- 
day, many  waited  on  the  ministry  of  the  word.  The 
preacher  in  charge  was  distinguished  no  less  for  his 
zeal  than  for  the  skill  he  exhibited  in  the  manage- 
ment of  a  meeting.  Besides,  he  was  much  beloved 
by  the  Church  and  remarkably  popular  with  all  the 
people. 

It  was  midsummer  when  indications  of  a  general 
revival  made  their  appearance.  The  third  quar- 
terly-meeting was  held,  and  the  Presiding  Elder  was 
present  in  the  spirit  of  the  Master.  His  preaching 
had  in  it  more  of  fire  than  he  had  usually  mani- 
fested. He  brought  encouraging  reports  from  other 
portions  of  his  District,  which  he  said  were  "in  a 
blaze  of  glory."  His  words  inspired  the  Church 
with  confidence.  While  he  was  preaching  from  the 
text,  "  Yea,  doubtless,  and  I  count  all  things  but  loss 
for  the  excellency  of  the  knowledge  of  Christ  Jesus 
my  Lord,"  a  halo  of  glory  seemed  to  encircle  the 


282  W  E  S  T  E  E  N     C  A  VALIERS. 

congregation.  A  mother  in  Israel  shouted  aloud  the 
praises  of  God;  three  persons  joined  the  Church. 
A  few  weeks  later  a  meeting  was  held  at  Union 
Star,  in  Breckinridge  county,  at  which  forty-two 
persons  "passed  from  death  unto  life."  An  old 
man  who  had  lived  more  than  four- score  years  was 
among  the  number.  Revivals  followed  in  quick 
succession  in  Hardinsburg,  at  Mount  Zion,  Rough 
Creek,  Liberty  Camp-ground,  and  at  a  camp-meet- 
ing held  at  the  head  of  Rough  Creek.  The  entire 
circuit  was  in  a  flame,  and  hundreds  were  entering 
upon  a  new  and  better  life.  At  the  camp-meeting 
at  the  head  of  Rough  Creek  scarcely  a  person  who 
attended  the  meeting  left  it  unblessed.  On  Monday 
afternoon  it  was  proposed  by  Mr.  Barnett  that  all 
persons  who  had  been  converted  should  file  off  to 
the  right  of  the  pulpit,  and  that  those  who  had  no 
evidence  of  acceptance  with  God  should  occupy  the 
left.  Only  seven  persons  were  to  be  seen  on  the 
left.  They  were  young  men,  and  asked  an  interest 
in  the  prayers  of  the  Church.  The  junior  preacher 
requested  them  to  accompany  him  to  an  adjoining 
grove,  where  they  knelt  and  prayed  together,  and 
six  of  them  were  powerfully  converted,  and  the  en- 
tire number  joined  the  Church.  Alberry  L.  Alder- 
son  was  present  at  this  camp-meeting,  and  preached 
with  great  power;  and  there,  too,  was  John  F. 
South,  a  young  man  of  great  promise,  just  entering 
the  ministry,  accompanied  by  his  pious  mother, 
whose  prayers  in  the  altar  went  up  like  sweet  in- 
cense to  God. 

During  the  progress  of  these  meetings  four  hun- 


Western   Cavaliers.  283 

dred  and  fifty-seven  persons  were  converted,  and 
more  than  that  number  added  to  the  Church. 

The  morning  on  which  the  junior  preacher  left 
the  circuit  for  Conference  many  friends  met  him  at 
church,  where  they  held  a  prayer-meeting,  at  which 
sixteen  persons  professed  religion. 

While  such  displays  of  divine  power  were  mani- 
fested in  the  Hardinshurg  Circuit,  the  Newcastle 
Circuit,  in  the  upper  portion  of  the  District  was 
sharing  in  the  riches  of  grace.  James  D.  Holding, 
one  of  the  sweetest  spirits  that  ever  lived,  and 
William  H.  Anderson,  a  young  man  of  superior  lit- 
erary attainments,  and  of  great  promise  to  the  pulpit, 
were  the  preachers.  Mr.  Holding  had  scarcely 
reached  the  meridian  of  life,  and  Mr.  Anderson  had 
just  entered  the  ministry.  Zealous  in  the  prosecu- 
tion of  their  Master's  work,  each  strove  to  excel  the 
other  "  in  winning  souls  to  Christ."  Success  crowned 
their  efforts.  Before  the  summer  months  had  passed 
there  was  a  revival  of  religion,  which  spread  all  over 
the  circuit.  On  the  6th  of  September  a  meeting 
was  commenced  in  Bedford,  at  which  more  than  one 
hundred  souls  were  converted,  and  one  hundred  and 
twelve  joined  the  Church;  and  at  the  fourth  quar- 
terly-meeting, held  at  Funk's  Camp-ground,  thirty 
were  converted  and  added  to  the  Church.  At  the 
close  of  the  year  five  hundred  and  twelve  persons 
were  gathered  as  so  many  witnesses  to  the  valor, 
and  energy,  and  faithfulness  of  these  ministers  of 
Christ. 

James  D.  Holding  was  a  remarkable  man,  and,  if 
not  distinguished  for  pulpit  ability,  was  eminent  for 


284  Western    Cavaliers. 

Lis  piety  and  usefulness.  He  was  born  in  Scott 
county,  Kentucky,  June  1,  1810.  When  in  the 
fourteenth  year  of  his  age  he  was  converted  to  God 
— the  first-fruits  of  his  mother's  consistent  religious 
life.  He  at  once  united  himself  with  the  Methodist 
Church,  and,  like  Timothy,  he  grew  rapidly  in  the 
knowledge  and  love  of  God.  At  an  early  age  he 
was  appointed  to  the  responsible  office  of  class- 
leader,  which  he  filled  with  profit  and  acceptability. 
In  August,  1834,  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  ad- 
mitted on  trial  into  the  Kentucky  Conference  the 
same  year. 

His  first  appointment  was  to  the  Shelby  Circuit, 
as  the  colleague  of  William  Gunn.  In  1885  he  was 
sent  to  the  Kentucky  Mission,  in  the  mountain  re- 
gion of  the  State,  and  in  1836  to  the  Hartford  Cir- 
cuit, about  four  hundred  miles  from  his  former  field 
of  labor.  At  the  Conference  of  1837  we  find  him 
on  the  Cynthiana  Circuit,  in  which  he  had  been 
brought  up,  converted,  and  licensed  to  preach  the 
gospel.  In  these  several  fields  Mr.  Holding  had 
been,  greatly  beloved  and  successful.  Hundreds 
had  been  brought  to  Christ  through  his  ministra- 
tions. 

In  the  summer  of  1837  we  accompanied  William 
Gunn,  the  Presiding  Elder  on  the  Louisville  District, 
to  the  lower  portion  of  his  work,  where  we  first  met 
Air.  Holding.  He  was  traveling  on  the  Hartford 
Circuit,  and  his  ministry  there  had  been  greatly 
blessed.  He  was  tall  and  well  formed  for  endur- 
ance, with  dark  complexion  and  dark  e}Tes,  and  with 
a  countenance  full  of  benignity,  which  at  once  drew 


Western    Cavaliers.  285 

us  toward  him,  or  rather  took  us  into  his  warm 
heart.  In  the  autumn  of  1838  he  was  sent  to  the 
Newcastle  Circuit,  where  we  have  seen  the  success 
that  followed  him  and  his  colleague. 

The  preaching  of  Mr.  Holding  was  of  the  horta- 
tory character.  His  sermons  were  chiefly  appeals 
to  sinners  to  be  reconciled  to  God,  and  his  exhorta- 
tions were  often  powerful  and  overwhelming,  reach- 
ing the  hearts  of  his  audience,  and  moving  them  to 
a  higher  and  a  better  life.  He  literally  went  "forth 
iceeping,  bearing  precious  seed."  Tears  of  grief,  be- 
cause men  and  women  refused  to  be  saved,  flowed 
freely  down  his  manly  face.     Everybody  loved  him. 

In  the  Elizabeth  Circuit,  Alberry  L.  Alderson  was 
efficient  in  his  duties.  Although  no  extraordinary 
revival  occurred  on  his  work,  yet  through  his  instru- 
mentality many  were  brought  to  Christ.  During 
his  ministry  on  that  circuit  the  Church  at  Graham- 
ton  was  organized.  It  has  had  an  active  member- 
ship ever  since,  and  from  it  the  Conference  has  been 
supplied  with  several  worthy  and  able  preachers. 

Amongst  the  preachers  distinguished  for  their 
usefulness  at  this  period,  the  name  of  Moses  Levi 
deserves  to  be  mentioned.  He  was  born  in  Charles- 
ton, South  Carolina,  April  4,  1786.  His  parents 
were  lineal  descendants  of  Abraham,  and  claimed  to 
be  of  the  tribe  of  Levi,  and  brought  up  their  son  in 
the  Jewish  religion.  He  was  converted  in  1820. 
We  have  no  advice  as  to  the  time  he  came  to  Ken- 
tucky. We  first  saw  him  at  the  Conference  held 
in  Shelbyville,  in  1835,  where  he  was  a  visitor,  and 
where  his  sweet  singing  attracted  much  attention. 


286  Western    Cavaliers. 

We  learned  that  lie  resided  in  Louisville,  where  he 
was  engaged  in  business  as  a  merchant-tailor,  and 
was  useful  as  a  local  preacher.  At  the  Conference 
of  1837  he  was  admitted  on  trial.  Without  the 
advantages  of  an  English  education,  and,  indeed, 
without  being  able  to  read,  he  passed  a  creditable 
examination  before  the  committee  to  examine  ap- 
plicants for  admission  on  trial — of  which  Mr.  Bas- 
com  was  chairman.  He  answered  the  questions 
submitted  to  him,  on  geography  and  history,  with 
as  much  accuracy  as  though  he  had  been  a  diligent 
student  in  these  departments.  !N"ot  a  line  of  Blair's 
Rhetoric  had  ever  been  read  to  him,  and  yet  his  ex- 
amination was  highly  creditable.  The  figures  he 
employed,  and  the  illustrations  he  used,  though  not 
the  same  as  those  used  by  the  distinguished  author, 
were  equally  forcible  and  expressive.  On  English 
grammar  he  was  at  fault  in  the  theory,  but  passably 
accurate  in  practice.  "I  could  never,"  he  said  to 
Mr.  Bascom,  "see  the  sense  in  going  over  nouns, 
compunctions,  insurrections,  and  congregations." 
In  the  books  on  theology  he  was  entirely  at  home. 
Orthodox  in  his  religious  belief,  he  was  prepared  to 
defend  with  signal  ability  the  cardinal  truths  of  the 
Bible.  When  asked  by  Mr.  Bascom  whether  he  had 
read  the  works  of  Wesley  and  Fletcher,  his  reply 
was:  "  You  may  report  that  I  believe  them  all,  with 
the  exception  of  Mr.  Wesley's  sermon  on  the  resur- 
rection of  the  inferior  animal  creation."  With  the 
Bible  and  Hymn-book  he  was  perfectly  familiar. 
We  have  been  present  when  he  read  his  Lessons 
from  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  with  the  Bible 


Western    Cavaliers.  287 

before  him,  and  when  lie  would  line  his  hymn,  al- 
though he  did  not  recognize  a  letter.  We  have 
heard  him  when  he  quoted  in  support  of  his  posi- 
tions as  many  as  sixty  passages  of  Scripture,  in  a 
sermon,  giving  the  chapter  and  verse,  with  the  most 
perfect  accuracy. 

When  Mr.  Levi  entered  the  itinerant  ministry  he 
was  fifty-one  years  of  age.  Although  his  hair  was 
silver-gray,  yet  his  constitution  was  unimpaired,  and 
he  promised  many  years  of  usefulness  to  the  Church. 
We  have  already  seen  the  success  with  which  his 
ministry  was  crowned  on  the  Hardinsburg  Circuit. 
On  the  La  Grange  Circuit,  where  we  now  find  him, 
the  churches  where  he  preached  were  crowded  with 
anxious  listeners,  who  were  attracted  by  the  truths 
of  the  Bible  as  presented  by  this  son  of  Abraham. 
With  a  keen,  ringing  voice  that  could  be  distinctly 
heard  in  the  largest  assemblies,  he  proclaimed  the 
tidings  of  a  Redeemer's  love,  and  incited  the  Church 
to  a  higher  life,  and  sinners  to  repent  and  turn  to 
God.  While  his  singing  attracted  hundreds,  many 
more  were  aroused  by  his  powerful  exhortations. 

He  reached  La  Grange  Circuit  immediately  after 
the  close  of  the  Conference,  and  entered  upon  his 
work  with  the  zeal  of  an  apostle.  During  the  winter 
interesting  revivals  blessed  his  labors  in  different 
portions  of  his  charge,  and  before  the  close  of  spring 
eighty  persons  had  "witnessed  a  good  confession." 
On  the  8th  of  June  he  commenced  a  meeting  in 
Westport,  which  continued  through  several  weeks, 
and  resulted  in  one  hundred  and  twenty  conver- 
sions.    The  entire  circuit  was  in  a  blaze;  every  ap- 


288  Western    Cavaliers. 

pointment  was  on  fire,  and  before  lie  left  for  the 
ensuing  Conference  four  hundred  and  thirty-three 
persons  had  "passed  from  death  unto  life,"  and 
"were  added  to  the  Church." 

In  the  Hartford  Circuit,  under  the  ministry  of 
Joseph  Gr.  Ward  and  Seraiah  S.  Deering,  one  hun- 
dred persons  were  received  into  the  Church. 

The  Louisville  District  extended,  on  the  Ohio 
River,  from  Westport  to  Yellow  Banks  (now  Owens- 
boro),  a  distance  of  two  hundred  miles.  At  almost 
every  appointment  along  the  winding  banks  of  the 
river  "the  voice  of  thanksgiving  and  praise"  was 
heard.  Westport,  Louisville,  Brandenburg,  Hawes- 
ville,  !N~ew  Chapel,  and  Yellow  Banks,  joined  in 
paeans  of  praise  to  a  common  Lord.  In  the  Yellow 
Banks  Circuit,  Daniel  S.  Barksdale  and  Richard 
Holding  witnessed  the  triumphs  of  the  cross. 

Richard  Holding  was  born  in  Scott  county,  Ken- 
tucky, November  28,  1808.  He  professed  religion 
and  united  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
September  10,  1831.  We  have  no  advice  as  to  the 
precise  time  he  was  licensed  to  preach ;  but  in  the 
Minutes  of  1832  we  find  him  enrolled  as  a  traveling 
preacher.  His  first  appointment  was  to  the  Madi- 
son Circuit,  as  the  colleague  of  John  Beatty.  In 
1833  he  was  sent,  with  John  Williams,  to  the  Mount 
Vernon  Circuit.  In  1834  his  appointment  was  to 
the  Cumberland  Mission,  with  the  gifted  Napoleon 
B.  Lewis  as  his  colleague.  There  was  no  appoint- 
ment in  the  Conference  more  difficult  to  travel  than 
this.  It  embraced  a  very  large  extent  of  territory 
in  the  most  mountainous  region  of  the  State,  with 


Western    Cavaliers.  289 

thirty-three  appointments,  several  of  them  many 
miles  distant  from  each  other.  The  duties  of  a  mis- 
sionary in  this  field  were  by  no  means  easily  per- 
formed. 

On  one  occasion  Mr.  Holding  was  riding  along  a 
devious  stream,  in  Harlan  county,  with  mountains 
on  either  side,  whose  summits  seemed  to  kiss  the 
flying  clouds.  He  was  meditating  on  the  love  of 
God,  as  shown  to  mankind  in  the  gift  of  his  Son 
Jesus  Christ,  and  was  offering  up  the  gratitude  of 
his  heart  for  His  "  loving-kindness  and  tender  mer- 
cies." Every  thing  around  him  was  still,  save  now 
and  then  the  warbling  of  a  feathered  songster  dis- 
turbed the  silence  of  the  hour.  The  road  was  a 
dreary  one.  A  human  voice  on  the  mountain-side 
arrested  his  attention. 

"Stop,  stop,  stop!"  cried  a  rough-looking  man, 
armed  with  rifle  and  butcher-knife,  bounding  down 
the  mountain,  accompanied  by  two  others  equally 
rough,  and  armed  like  himself. 

To  escape  was  impossible.  Anticipating  an  at- 
tack from  ruffians,  he  checked  his  jaded  horse  and 
prepared  to  meet  them  with  the  boldest  front  he 
could  present.  As  they  drew  nearer  he  asked  them 
what  they  wanted. 

"Don't  be  sheered,  Mr.  Preacher;  we  wouldn't 
hurt  you  for  the  universe." 

"You  know  me,  then?"  said  Mr.  Holding. 

"I  do,"  said  the  one  who  first  aecosted  him.  "I 
heern  you  preach  yesterday,  and  was  tellin'  these 
fellers  about  you;  and  seem'  you  comin'  along,  I 
thought  you  would  n't  mind  ef  I  'd  jest  stop  you  a 


290  W e  s  t  e  r  n    Cavaliers. 

min nit  and  show  yon  to  'em,  as  they  never  seed  a 
Methodist  preacher  afore.'' 

"I  am  glad  to  make  your  acquaintance,"  said  the 
preacher,  at  the  same  time  offering  his  hand  to  each 
of  them.  After  conversing  with  them  awhile  on 
the  subject  of  their  souls'  salvation,  he  bade  them 
fare-well. 

In  1835  he  traveled  the  Shelby  Circuit,  with 
George  W.  Merritt  as  his  colleague.  In  all  these 
fields  of  labor  he  gathered  sinners  into  the  fold  of 
Christ,  and  left  behind  him  the  savor  of  a  good 
name. 

In  1836  and  1837  we  find  him  on  the  Yellow 
Banks  Circuit,  still  laboring  with  apostolic  zeal. 
The  Yellow  Banks  Circuit  at  that  time  extended, 
on  the  Ohio  River,  from  Cloverport  to  the  mouth 
of  Green  River,  and  from  Owensboro  to  Rumsey, 
over  a  country  which  in  great  part  was  flat  and 
marshy,  with  twenty-six  appointments,  to  be  filled 
every  four  weeks.  The  arduous  labors  of  Mr. 
Holding  on  this  circuit  greatly  impaired  one  of  the 
finest  constitutions  in  the  Conference,  and  compelled 
him,  in  1838,  to  ask  for  a  supernumerary  relation. 
It  is  in  this  relation  we  find  him,  as  the  colleague 
of  Daniel  S.  Barksdale,  the  present  year,  on  the 
Yellow  Banks  Circuit.  Notwithstanding  the  rela- 
tion he  sustained  to  the  Conference  indicated  that 
but  little  ministerial  labor  was  expected  of  him,  yet 
we  see  him  in  the  pulpit  every  Sabbath,  and  often 
during  the  week.  The  preacher  in  charge  was 
active  and  zealous,  and  on  his  former  circuit  was 
eminently  successful.    In  the  summer  of  1839,  under 


W  E  STERN     C  A  V  A  L  I  E  R  S  .  291 

the  ministry  of  these  two  faithful  men,  one  hundred 
and  fifty  persons  embraced  religion  in  the  town  of 
Owensboro.  The  revival  began  at  the  quarterly- 
meeting,  which  commenced  on  the  25th  of  May. 
Mr.  Crouch,  the  Presiding  Elder,  was  present,  and 
preached  with  great  power  and  ability.  Methodist 
preachers  had  for  several  years  visited  Owensboro, 
and  preached  to  the  people;  and  although  a  small 
Society  had  been  organized,  yet  this  was  the  first 
revival  of  religion  that  had  ever  occurred  in  that 
village.  A  few  weeks  later  the  village  of  Hawes- 
ville  had  a  gracious  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
through  the  instrumentality  of  the  same  preachers, 
assisted  by  Henry  Hughes,  a  local  preacher  of  con- 
siderable pulpit  ability.  At  this  meeting  one  hun- 
dred persons  were  converted  and  ninety-two  joined 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  New  Chapel — a 
country  church  about  seven  miles  from  Hawesville — 
had  for  several  years  been  a  preaching-place,  but  not 
a  soul  had  ever  been  converted  since  the  erection  of 
the  church.  From  Hawesville  the  revival  extended 
to  that  neighborhood,  embracing  in  its  power  and 
influence  almost  the  entire  community.  A  writer 
in  the  Western  Christian  Advocate,  who  witnessed 
these  meetings,  declared  that  there  were  "  not  fifteen 
persons  in  the  neighborhood  left  unconverted."  * 
At  the  camp-meeting  held  at  Pleasant  Grove  in 
August,  ninety-four  persons  joined  the  Church,  and 
one  hundred  and  twenty  professed  religion. 

With  the  exception  of  the  Jefferson  Circuit,  the 
entire  District  had  been  in  a  flame.     "We  are  not 
^Western  Christian  Advocate,  October  18,  1839. 


292  Western   Cavaliers. 

surprised  at  the  following  letter  from  Benjamin  T. 

Crouch,  the  Presiding  Elder,  written  from  his  quiet 

home : 

"Harmony  Landing,  Sept.  30,  1839. 

"  We  have  just  closed  the  regular  quarterly  work 
of  this  District  for  the  present  year.  We  now 
hasten  to  a  two-clays'  meeting,  and  then  forthwith 
set  our  face  toward  the  place  of  Conference,  and  as 
we  go  preach;  for  we  have  several  appointments  on 
the  way.  This  has  been  an  eventful  year  to  us  in 
the  Louisville  District — full  of  toils,  rich  in  mercy, 
and  gracious  and  cheering  in  success.  The  great 
Head  of  the  Church  has  visited  the  District  gen- 
erally, and  the  showers  of  reviving  grace  have  fallen 
most  delightfully  and  copiously  in  many  neighbor- 
hoods and  Societies.  Hundreds  of  sinners  have  been 
convinced  of  sin  and  converted  to  God,  and  happy 
hundreds  of  living  Christians  have  been  quickened, 
revived,  and  encouraged  in  their  march  to  the  prom- 
ised land.  From  the  Kentucky  River  above  to  the 
Green  River  below  the  entire  length  of  our  Dis- 
trict has  resounded  with  the  high  praises  of  God, 
especially  along  the  margin  of  the  beautiful  Ohio. 
What  will  be  our  net  increase  cannot  now  be  cer- 
tainly determined;  but  the  numerous  admissions 
on  probation  during  the  year  must,  we  think,  give 
us  an  aggregate  of  from  seventeen  hundred  to  two 
thousand  in  the  entire  District,  Thus  has  God  our 
Saviour  blessed  the  humble  efforts  of  his  dependent 
servants. 

"  We  take  pleasure  in  recording  that  some  of  the 
young  men  have  been  the  most  favored  and  efficient 


Western   Cavaliers.  293 

instruments  in  the  revivals  in  this  District.  God 
grant  that  these  zealous  beginners  in  gospel  labor 
may  abound  more  and  more  in  usefulness  and  holi- 
ness !  '  Blessed  be  the  name  of  the  Lord  Most  High 
for  all  his  goodness  to  the  children  of  men.' 

" Among  our  enjoyments  we  have,  however,  expe- 
rienced none  of  those  long  intervals  of  rest  assigned 
to  Presiding  Elders  by  a  late  communication  in  the 
Advocate.  We  know  nothing,  in  our  experience,  of 
three  or  four  weeks'  leisure  at  a  time,  amidst  the 
comforts  of  home.  Indeed,  from  three  to  five  days' 
enjoyment  at  home,  in  that  many  weeks,  is  quite  a 
domestic  treat  to  some  of  us.  We  well  know  the 
great  pleasure  of  staying  at  home  a  whole  day  to- 
gether, after  an  absence  of- four  weeks,  before  we 
start  again.  But  labor  is  rest,  and  pain  is  sweet, 
and  even  privation  is  pleasant,  where  Jesus  our 
Lord  is  present.  With  Christ  in  the  ship,  we  smile 
at  toil  and  pain,  and  dread  not  the  pelting  storm. 
This  is  not  our  rest.  0  that  the  work  of  our  God 
may  still  spread  wider  and  extend  farther,  even  to 
the  ends  of  the  earth ! "  * 

The  first  revival  in  the  Shelbyville  District  oc- 
curred in  Shelbyville,  under  the  ministry  of  Henry 
E.  Pilcher.  A  meeting  was  held  in  January,  which 
resulted  in  forty  additions  to  the  Church.  After 
a  few  weeks'  respite  the  services  of  the  meeting 
were  resumed  and  protracted  through  the  month  of 
March,  and  at  its  close  one  hundred  and  fourteen 
persons  were  added  to  the  Church,  and  about  the 
same  number  were  converted.  In  the  Salt  River 
*  Western  Christian  Advocate,  October  17,  1839. 


294  Western   Cavaliers. 

Circuit,  the  labors  of  William  M.  Grubbs  were  still 
blessed,  and  all  around  that  circuit  there  were  times 
of  prosperity.  In  the  month  of  July  Shelbyville 
was  again  visited  by  a  gracious  revival,  under  the 
ministry  of  John  N".  Maffitt;  while,  in  the  Hodgen- 
ville  Circuit,  Robinson  E.  Sidebottom  received  sixty 
persons  into  the  Church.  The  Danville  and  Har- 
rodsburg  Station,  with  Edward  Stevenson  as  the 
leader,  still  had  refreshing  times.  In  both  the  white 
and  colored  membership  there  was  a  large  increase. 
In  the  Irwin  and  Mount  Vernon  Circuits — the  for- 
mer under  the  ministry  of  Wesley  G.  Montgomery, 
and  the  latter  with  Elihu  Green  as  pastor — there 
were  gracious  revivals,  and  nearly  one  hundred  per- 
sons in  each  of  these  charges  were  received  into  the 
Church.  Andrew  Peace,  in  charge  of  the  Somerset 
Circuit,  and  Edmund  M.  Johnson,  the  preacher  on 
Liberty  Circuit,  were  also  greatly  blessed  in  their 
ministry. 

In  the  Bowling  Green  District,  Thomas  Waring 
reports,  early  in  May,  thirty  additions  to  the  Church 
in  the  Greensburg  Circuit,  and  at  the  close  of  the 
year  two  hundred  and  thirteen.  The  ministry  of 
William  B.  Maxey  was  greatly  blessed  in  the  Wayne 
Circuit,  and  that  of  Robert  Fisk  in  the  Burks ville 
Circuit  was  also  approved  by  the  Master. 

Peter  Taylor  was  sent  this  year  to  the  Russellville 
Station,  in  the  Hopkinsville  District.  He  was  born 
in  Billings,  Lancashire,  England,  February  28,  1809. 
In  1817  he  came  to  America,  and  in  the  spring  of 
1830  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He 
was  soon  appointed  to  the  responsible  office  of  class- 


Western    Cavaliers.  295 

leader,  in  which  lie  was  useful,  and  then  licensed  to 
exhort,  and  to  preach. 

In  1834  he  was  admitted  on  trial  into  the  Ken- 
tucky Conference,  and  appointed  to  the  Little  Sandy 
Circuit,  with  Lorenzo  D.  Parker;  and  in  1835  he  was 
the  colleague  of  John  W.  Riggin,  on  the  German- 
town  Circuit.  In  1836  we  find  him  traveling  the 
Fleming  Circuit,  with  John  Waring  as  the  junior 
preacher;  and  in  1837  his  field  of  lahor  was  the 
Louisa  Circuit.  In  the  several  fields  of  labor  he 
had  occupied  he  proved  himself  a  workman  "who 
needed  not  to  be  ashamed."  He  understood  well 
the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  the  sacred  office 
to  which  he  was  called,  and  discharged  them  with 
fidelity.  Success  crowned  his  ministry,  and  through 
his  instrumentality  many  were  brought  to  Christ. 
His  preaching  was  of  the  tender  and  persuasive 
character.  Whether  he  pleaded  with  the  sinner  to 
be  reconciled  to  God,  whether  he  offered  comfort  to 
the  people  of  God,  or  whether  he  administered  the 
consolations  of  religion  to  the  bereaved  or  afflicted, 
there  was  a  softness  in  his  manner  that  rendered 
him  dear  to  those  whom  he  served.  We  have  seen 
an  entire  audience  melted  to  tears  under  his  min- 
istry, and  we  have  heard  rejoicing  in  the  house  of 
God  while  he  talked  of  the  comforts  of  religion  and 
the  hope  of  eternal  life.  As  a  Christian,  he  was 
above  reproach.  Soundly  converted,  he  lived  in  the 
enjoyment  of  religion,  and  was  read}'  on  all  occa- 
sions to  give  "a  reason  of  the  hope  that  was  in 
him."  Immediately  after  the  close  of  the  session 
of  the   Conference   he  entered  upon  his  work  at 


296  Western    Cavaliers. 

Russellville,  where  his  labors  were  greatly  blessed. 
At  a  meeting  held  a  few  weeks  after  he  reached  his 
work  twelve  persons  were  converted  and  joined  the 
Church. 

Napoleon  B.  Lewis  this  year  traveled  the  Green- 
ville Circuit.  No  preacher  in  the  Conference  was 
more  zealous  and  indefatigable  than  Mr.  Lewis,  and 
none  more  eminently  successful  in  winning  souls  to 
Christ.  In  the  Greenville  Circuit,  revivals  crowned 
his  labors  everywhere,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year 
more  than  two  hundred  persons  had  been  received 
into  the  Church. 

While  Mr.  Lewis  was  pushing  the  battle  to  the 
gates  of  the  enemy  in  the  Greenville  Circuit,  Gil  by 
Kelly  and  Nathanael  H.  Lee — the  former  a  preacher 
of  several  years'  experience,  and  the  latter  a  zealous 
young  man  who  had  just  been  admitted  on  trial — 
were  making  conquests  for  the  Messiah  on  the  Hop- 
kinsville  Circuit.  Laboring  shoulder  to  shoulder  in 
the  Master's  cause,  they  brought  into  the  fold  of 
Christ  many  weary  wanderers  in  search  of  truth. 
During  the  year  one  hundred  and  fifty  joined  the 
Church.  Abram  Long,  at  the  same  time,  was  win- 
ning trophies  to  the  Redeemer  in  the  La  Fayette 
Circuit;  and  in  the  Princeton  Circuit  George  Switzer 
and  David  H.  Davis  accomplished  much  good.  Be- 
fore the  first  of  April  forty-three  persons  professed 
religion  and  joined  the  Church,  and  one  hundred  and 
two  during  the  year.  The  gifted  Edwin  Roberts,  on 
the  Morganfield  Circuit,  enjoyed  another  year  of 
great  prosperity;  while,  through  the  instrumentality 
of  Robert  G.  Gardner,  on  the  Madison ville  Circuit — 


Western    Cavaliers.  297 

which  at  that  time  included  the  town  of  Henderson 
— more  than  two  hundred  souls  were  converted. 
The  Logan  Circuit,  with  Calvin  W.  Lewis  as  the 
pastor,  also  realized  the  convicting  power  and  con- 
verting grace  of  God. 

We  pass  to  the  Barboursville  District,  where 
Richard  D.  Neale  is  found  in  the  front  of  the  battle. 
This  District  was  supplied  with  efficient  and  enter- 
prising preachers.  On  the  Williamsburg  Circuit, 
we  find  the  zealous  George  S.  Gatewood;  on  the 
Barboursville  Circuit,  the  sedate  John  B.  Perry; 
Andrew  J.  McLaughlin  travels  the  Mount  Pleasant 
Mission;  Aaron  H.  Rice,  the  Kentucky  Mission; 
Robert  F.  Turner,  the  Prestonsburg  Circuit;  Wil- 
liam B.  Landrum,  the  Louisa  Circuit;  William 
James,  the  West  Liberty  Mission;  while  the  Man- 
chester Circuit  is  left  to  be  supplied. 

In  every  charge  in  the  mountain  district  there 
were  gracious  revivals  of  religion,  while  in  some  of 
them  the  good  work  was  extensive.  In  the  Mount 
Pleasant  Mission  there  were  one  hundred  and  fifty, 
and  in  the  Louisa  Circuit  fifty,  additions  to  the 
Church. 

From  the  Kentucky  Conference  we  now  turn  to 
Jackson's  Purchase,  embraced  in  the  Tennessee  Con- 
ference, where  we  still  find  the  Hickman,  Paducah, 
and  Wadesboro  Circuits.  The  preachers  on  the 
Hickman  Circuit  for  this  year  were  James  R.  Walker 
and  William  T.  Jones;  on  the  Paducah  Circuit, 
Edmund  J.  Williams  and  Edwin  W.  Yancey;  while 
J.  T.  Sherrill  traveled  on  the  Wadesboro  Circuit. 
In  this  portion  of  Kentucky  there  was  a  decrease  of 
13* 


298  Western   Cavaliers. 

thirty-six  in  the  white  membership,  and  an  increase 
of  nine  in  the  colored. 

The  net  increase  in  the  State  of  Kentucky  for  this 
year  was  two  thousand  four  hundred  and  thirty-four 
white  members,  while  in  the  colored  membership 
there  was  a  decrease  of  one  hundred  and  forty-three. 


Western   Cavaliers.  299 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FROM  THE  SESSION  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CONFERENCE  OF 
1839  TO  THE  CONFERENCE  OF  1840. 

See  how  great  a  flame  aspires, 

Kindled  by  a  spark  of  grace ! 
Jesus'  love  the  nations  fires, 

Sets  the  kingdoms  on  a  blaze. 
To  bring  fire  on  earth  he  came; 

Kindled  in  some  hearts  it  is: 
0  that  all  might  catch  the  flame, 

All  partake  the  glorious  bliss ! 

BISHOP  SOULE  presided  at  the  Kentucky 
Conference  of  1839,  which  convened  in  Rus- 
sellville  October  16.  Thomas  1ST.  Ralston  was  elected 
Secretary,  and  William  M.  Grubbs  Assistant  Secre- 
tary. 

Richard  Corwine,  Peter  Taylor,  and  William 
Holman,  were  appointed  a  Committee  on  Public 
Worship,  and  George  W.  Brush  on  Memoirs. 

Edward  Stevenson,  Henry  E".  Vandyke,  and 
Robert  Y.  McReynolds,  were  appointed  Stewards 
of  the  Conference. 

On  the  first  morning  of  the  session  the  following 
resolution  was  adopted  by  the  Conference: 

" Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  five  be  appointed, 


300  Western   Cavaliers. 

to  be  called  the  Committee  on  the  Centenary,  to 
consider  and  report  on  the  subject  of  a  Kentucky 
Conference  Centenary  meeting;  the  propriety  of 
uniting  such  meeting  with  the  anniversary  of  the 
Kentucky  Conference  Missionary  Society;  the  pro- 
priety of  postponing  the  final  Centenary  day  to  a 
later  period  than  the  25th  instant;  and  such  other 
matters  as  to  them  may  appear  suitable  to  act  upon, 
that  the  Conference  may  proceed  safely  and  expe- 
ditiously on  this  interesting  subject." 

Joseph  S.  Tomlinson,  Benjamin  T.  Crouch,  Jona- 
than Stamper,  Henry  B.  Bascom,  and  Isaac  Collard, 
were  constituted  the  committee. 

One  hundred  years  had  passed  away  since  "  eight 
or  ten  persons  came  to  Mr.  Wesley,  in  London,  who 
appeared  to  be  deeply  convinced  of  sin,  and  earnestly 
groaning  for  redemption,"  and  whose  object  was 
"that  he  would  spend  some  time  with  them  in 
prayer,  and  advise  them  how  to  '  flee  from  the  wrath 
to  come,'  which  they  saw  continually  hanging  over 
their  heads."  During  this  period  the  "  United  So- 
ciety," of  which  "  this  Avas  the  rise,"  had  spread  not 
only  through  Europe,  but  through  the  civilized 
world.  Methodism  had  become  a  recognized  fact, 
and  at  her  altars,  both  in  Europe  and  America, 
thousands  were  worshiping.  It  was  eminently 
proper  for  the  leading  branch  of  American  Method- 
ism to  recognize  in  a  suitable  manner  the  guardian 
care  of  Jehovah  over  his  people,  as  well  as  to  offer 
expressions  of  gratitude  for  the  prosperity  which 
had  marked  the  progress  of  the  Church  during  the 
century  which  was  just  closing.     It  was  also  proper 


Western    Cavaliers.  301 

for  the  Kentucky  Conference  to  participate  in  the 
centennial  celebration. 

The  committee  recommended  that  collections  be 
taken  up  in  the  several  circuits  and  stations,  as  a 
thank-offering  to  God,  and  that  the  amounts  col- 
lected be  equally  divided  between  three  great  objects 
specified  in  the  address  of  the  Bishop — namely:  one- 
third  to  missionary  purposes,  one-third  to  the  cause 
of  education,  and  one-third  toward  constituting  a 
fund  for  the  benefit  of  our  superannuated  preachers 
and  the  most  necessitous  cases  in  the  Conference, 
and  the  widows  and  orphans  of  those  who  have  died 
in  the  work. 

At  this  session  of  the  Conference  it  was 

"Hesolved,  That  we  are  as  much  as  ever  impressed 
with  the  importance  of  the  course  of  study  prescribed 
for  our  undergraduates,  and  that  we  witness  with 
regret  a  remissness  in  attending  to  and  enforcing  an 
observance  of  it,  and  that  in  future  we  will  insist 
more  strictly  upon  the  accomplishment  of  it  on  the 
part  of  all  to  whom  it  relates." 

We  were  glad  to  see  an  advance  step  in  this  mat- 
ter on  the  part  of  the  Conference.  The  course  of 
study  prescribed  for  the  undergraduates  was  not  a 
difficult  one.  Any  preacher  with  a  fair  amount  of 
common  sense,  and  with  reasonable  industry,  could 
easily  master  it,  and  at  the  same  time  perform  the 
duties  of  a  pastor.  We,  however,  mention  with 
regret  that  undergraduates,  in  some  instances,  ap- 
peared before  the  Committee  of  Examination  with 
but  a  superficial  knowledge  of  the  books  in  the 
course,  and  sometimes  without  having  reati   more 


302  Western    Cavaliers. 

than  one-half  of  them.  Lenity  had  heretofore  been 
extended  to  these  delinquents.  It  is  true  that  op- 
portunities for  early  mental  training  were  rare,  and 
many  young  men  had  entered  the  ministry  without 
the  advantages  of  even  the  most  common  education. 
The  want  of  early  opportunities  for  study  very  fre- 
quently made  an  excuse  for  remissness  in  this  re- 
gard. In  addition  to  this,  young  men  were  often 
excused  on  the  ground  that  "gaining  knowledge  is 
good,  but  saving  souls  is  better" — forgetting  that 
the  gaining  of  knowledge,  instead  of  being  a  hin- 
derance  to,  will  greatly  facilitate,  the  saving  of  souls. 
Laxity  could  no  longer  be  tolerated.  A  more  rigid 
policy  was  essential  to  an  effective  ministry,  and  the 
Conference  resolved  to  pursue  it. 

On  the  third  day  a  communication  on  the  subject 
of  Temperance,  from  the  New  York  Conference, 
and  one  from  the  New  England  Conference,  on  the 
subject  of  Slavery,  were  received — both  of  which 
were  laid  on  the  table,  to  be  taken  up  and  consid- 
ered before  the  close  of  the  session. 

On  Monday  morning  the  communication  on  the 

%j  CD 

subject  of  Temperance,  sent  from  the  New  York 
Conference,  was  called  up.     It  was  as  follows: 

"Resolved,  That  the  next  General  Conference  be 
earnestly  and  respectfully  requested  and  empowered 
so  to  alter  the  General  Rules  of  the  United  Societies 
that  the  item  respecting  drunkenness  may  read  as 
Air.  Wesley  framed  it,  which  is  in  the  following  lan- 
guage— viz.:  'Drunkenness,  buying  or  selling  spir- 
ituous liquors,  or  drinking  them,  unless  in  cases  of 
extreme  necessity.' " 


Western   Cavaliers.  303 

The  Conference  concurred  in  this  resolution  by  a 
vote  of  seventy-six  to  one. 

The  communication  from  the  New  England  Con- 
ference, on  the  subject  of  Slavery,  was  the  same  that 
had  been  sent  out  the  previous  year.  The  presiding 
Bishop  made  some  scathing  remarks  in  reference  to 
the  officious  intermeddling  of  the  New  England 
Conference  with  the  institution  of  slavery — after 
which  the  Conference  voted  unanimously  to  non- 
concur. 

The  Conference  adopted  the  following  resolution: 

"Resolved,  That  the  Conference  cordially  approve 
of  the  organization  of  the  Western  Methodist  His- 
torical Society,  in  the  city  of  Cincinnati;  and  that 
the  Secretary  of  the  Conference  and  the  Presiding 
Elders  of  the  several  Districts  be  a  committee  to 
contribute  appropriate  material  to  that  Society;  and 
that  for  this  purpose  they  shall  have  free  access  to 
all  the  books  and  papers  belonging  to  this  body; 
and  that  the  members  of  the  Conference,  generally, 
be  requested  to  contribute,  as  far  as  practicable,  to 
the  furtherance  of  the  object  of  that  Association." 

The  object  of  this  Society  was  to  collect  and  pre- 
serve past  and  current  events  and  incidents  of  Meth- 
odist history  in  the  Western  Conferences,  for  the 
use  of  the  future  historian.  Laudable  as  was  the 
design  of  the  founders  of  this  Society,  it  is  to  be 
regretted  that  among  its  archives  there  are  very  few 
contributions  from  Kentucky. 

No  resolution  was  adopted  during  the  session  of 
more  importance  than  the  following: 

"Resolved,  by  the  Kentucky  Annual  Conference,  That 


304  Western   Cavaliers. 

all  the  members  of  this  body  be  respectfully  re- 
quested and  directed  to  use  all  proper  means  and 
efforts,  at  a  period  as  early  as  practicable,  to  induce 
the  people  within  their  respective  charges,  and  the 
several  divisions  of  their  labor,  to  address  petitions 
and  memorials  to  the  Legislature  of  Kentucky, 
praying  for  the  enactment  of  suitable  laws  for  the 
suppression  of  the  vice  of  Intemperance  within  the 
commonwealth  of  Kentucky,  and  especially  to  ap- 
peal to  the  Legislature  for  a  change  in  the  existing 
License  Law,  as  it  regards  the  sale  of  ardent  spirits.7' 

This  resolution  was  unanimously  adorjted  by  a 
rising  vote.  While  the  Secretary  was  reading  it 
the  feeling  in  the  audience,  as  well  as  in  the  Confer- 
ence, was  very  intense,  and  before  the  reading  closed 
the  enthusiasm  was  greatly  increased.  A  young 
preacher,  who  had  only  been  admitted  on  trial  the 
previous  year,  and  hence  not  entitled  to  a  vote,  be- 
came so  excited  that  he  could  not  remain  in  his  seat, 
and  when  those  who  favored  the  resolution  were 
called  on  to  rise,  he  stood  a  head  and  shoulders  above 
them  all.     He  was  the  tallest  preacher  in  the  house. 

It  is  gratifying  to  record  that  the  Kentucky  Con- 
ference, at  this  period,  took  such  high  and  decisive 
ground  on  the  subject  of  Temperance.  Not  only 
the  resolutions,  but  the  practice,  of  the  Conference 
favored  the  temperance  movement.  The  ruin  of 
intemperance  was  wide-spread,  and  its  blight  was 
upon  a  thousand  homes.  Young  men  of  promise, 
who  might  have  adorned  society,  had  fallen  victims 
to  the  deadly  curse,  and  hoary  age  was  reeling  to 
and  fro  on  the  margin  of  the  grave.     The  once  rosy 


Western   Cavaliers.  305 

cheek  of  woman — mother,  wife,  daughter,  sister — 
had  turned  pale,  while  the  son,  husband,  father, 
or  brother,  was  pressing  the  wine-cup  to  hisMips. 
The  pulpit  met  with  no  obstacle  to  its  success  so 
dangerous  and  so  powerful  as  intemperance,  and 
every  motive  of  duty  to  God  and  of  good- will  to 
man  urged  the  arrest  of  this  dreadful  evil.*  The 
Conference  determined  that  if  intemperance  should 
not  be  banished  from  the  commonwealth,  the  fault 
should  not  be  theirs;  its  power  should  at  least  be 
broken,  and  its  influence  checked. 

On  Wednesday  morning — the  last  day  of  the  ses- 
sion— the  following  persons  were  elected  Delegates 
to  the  General  Conference:  Joseph  S.  Tomlinson, 
Henry  B.  Bascom,  Jonathan  Stamper,  Thomas  K. 
Ralston,  and  George  W.  Taylor.  Benjamin  T. 
Crouch  and  Hubbard  H.  Kavanaugh  were  elected 
Reserve  Delegates. 

Dr.  Bascom  had  been  appointed  at  the  previous 
session  to  deliver  an  address  on  Education,  but  was 

*To  those  who  think  the  temperance  movement  has  effected 
but  little  allow  us  to  say  that  at  this  period  ardent  spirits  en- 
tered into  every  gathering.     We  heard  a minister,  in 

1837,  preach  a  funeral-sermon  at  a  private  house.  On  the 
sideboard  was  to  be  seen,  during  the  service,  a  gallon-bottle 
of  whisky.  When  the  service  closed  the  preacher  stepped  for- 
ward and  poured  some  into  a  glass,  and  drank  it.  In  a  few 
moments  the  bottle  was  empty.  We  knew  a  gentleman,  one 
evening,  to  send  to  the  house  of  a  deacon  in  a  Church  for  a 
glass  of  whisky  for  a  sick  servant,  knowing  that  he  kept  it. 
lie  replied  that  he  had  only  one  gallon,  and  there  was  prayer- 
meeting  that  night  at  his  house,  and  he  could  not  spare  it. 
Such  things  would  not  now  be  tolerated. 


306  Western   Cavaliers. 

too  feeble  in  health  to  perform  the  duty,  and  was 
excused  by  vote  of  the  Conference. 

The  preaching  during  the  session  was  excellent. 
The  sermon  by  Bishop  Soule,  on  Sunday  at  eleven 
o'clock,  from  the  text,  "For  all  the  promises  of  God 
in  him  are  yea,  and  in  him  Amen,  unto  the  glory  of 
God  by  us,"  *  was  forcible  and  impressive. 

The  deacons  were  ordained  after  the  close  of  the 
sermon.  "While  the  ordination -services  were  in 
progress  one  of  the  seats  in  the  gallery  was  broken. 
The  entire  audience  was  in  commotion.  "  The 
house  is  falling!"  rang  through  the  assembly,  and 
the  scene  that  ensued  baffles  description.  A  wild 
rush  was  made  for  the  doors,  some  persons  broke 
through  the  windows,  several  leaped  among  the  ex- 
cited crowd  from  the  gallery,  while  others  hastily 
passed  their  children  from  the  gallery  to  friends  on 
the  lower  floor.  The  strong,  commanding  voice  of 
Bishop  Soule  was  heard  above  the  confusion,  assur- 
ing the  people  that  there  was  no  clanger,  and  urging 
them  to  be  calm;  yet  the  rush  for  the  doors  and  win- 
dows continued  until  the  Bishop  and  the  preachers 
at  the  altar,  with  only  a  few  others,  were  all  that 
remained  in  the  house.  During  the  panic  the  ordi- 
nation-services were  suspended,  but,  as  soon  as  the 
excitement  subsided,  were  resumed.y 

No  sermon,  however,  during  the  session,  attracted 
so  much  attention,  or  produced  such  a  thrilling  effect, 
as  one  preached  by  John  H.  Linn,  a  }7oung  preacher 
but  recently  transferred  from  the  Baltimore  Confer- 
ence. 

*2  Cor.  i.  20.     fThe  author  was  ordained  on  that  occasion. 


Western    Cavaliers.  307 

The  missionary  meeting,  on  Saturday  evening, 
was  a  splendid  success.  One  thousand  dollars  was 
collected  on  the  occasion. 

Aaron  Moore,  Seraiah  S.  Deering,  Jesse  Crom- 
well, John  F.  South,  John  Vance,  John  C.  Baskett, 
Andrew  M.  Bailey,  Samuel  R.  Turner,  James  I. 
George,  and  James  J.  Harrison,  were  admitted  on 
trial. 

Wiley  B.  Murphy,  Samuel  Veach,  John  Waring, 
Martin  L.  Fades,  Jesse  Sutton,  George  Switzer, 
James  H,  Brooking,  and  Esau  Simmons,  located. 

George  W.  Fagg,  Joseph  G.  Ward,  Stephen  Har- 
per, and  Elijah  Sutton,  were  placed  on  the  superan- 
nuated list;  while  the  names  of  William  Atherton 
and  Eli  B.  Crain  were  transferred  to  the  effective 
roll. 

One  preacher  (Absalom  D.  Fox)  had  died  daring 
the  year. 

Absalom  D.  Fox  was  born  in  Pennsylvania;  but 
we  have  no  record  of  the  date  of  his  birth.  He  was 
brought  up  chiefly  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  and  joined 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  city  of  Cin- 
cinnati, in  1816.  For  five  years  he  remained  a  local 
preacher,  in  which  sphere  he  was  laborious  and  use- 
ful. He  was  then  admitted  on  trial  into  the  Ohio 
Conference,  where  for  ten  years  he  was  diligent  and 
successful  as  a  traveling  preacher. 

In  the  autumn  of  1835  he  was  transferred  to  the 
Kentucky  Conference,  and  appointed  to  the  Jeffer- 
son Circuit.  Here,  as  in  the  State  of  Ohio,  his 
ministry  was  crowned  with  success.  In  1836  he 
was  returned  to  the  Jefferson   Circuit,  where  he 


308  Western    Cavaliers. 

continued  to  preach  with  acceptability  and  useful- 
ness to  the  close  of  the  year.  Twelve  years  of  itin- 
erant service  had  greatly  impaired  his  health,  which, 
together  with  pecuniary  embarrassment,  induced  his 
location  in  1837. 

Believing  that  it  was  his  duty  to  devote  himself 
exclusively  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  he  offered 
himself  to  the  Conference  in  1838,  and  was  read- 
mitted, and  appointed  to  the  Frankfort  Station. 
His  work,  however,  was  done.  After  a  severe  and 
protracted  illness,  he  "fell  asleep  in  Jesus,"  Novem- 
ber 2,  1838. 

During  the  brief  period  in  which  Mr.  Fox  was 
identified  with  the  Church  in  Kentucky  he  gathered 
around  him  a  circle  of  friends,  who  appreciated  him 
for  his  excellent  traits  of  character,  his  fervent  piety, 
and  his  pure  and  spotless  life.  As  a  preacher,  he 
was  always  acceptable,  amiable,  and  modest  in  his 
deportment,  and  as  a  pastor  industrious  and  emi- 
nently qualified  for  the  duties  wThich  lay  before  him. 
One  who  knew  him  well  said  of  him:  "Take  him 
all  in  all — in  his  intellect  and  morals,  his  sincerity 
of  heart  and  purity  of  life,  and  in  the  whole  contour 
of  his  character,  as  a  man,  a  Christian,  and  a  minis- 
ter— we  do  not  hope  to  find,  in  our  whole  lives,  a 
more  lovely  example  of  the  union  and  harmony  of 
all  the  Christian  graces."  The  memorial-sermon  of 
Mr.  Fox  was  preached  by  George  W.  Brush,  at  the 
request  of  the  Conference. 

The  missionary  collections  from  the  circuits  and 
stations  amounted  to  $4,581.85,  one  thousand  dollars 
of  which  was  collected  at  the  Conference  anniver- 


Western   Cavaliers.  309 

sary.  Carlisle  Babbitt,  who  had  brought  to  the 
Conference  a  larger  collection  than  did  any  other 
preacher  the  previous  year,  again  stands  at  the  head 
of  the  list.  lie  reported,  from  the  Versailles  Cir- 
cuit, $706.81. 

In  looking  over  the  appointments,  we  find  Isaac 
Collard,  William  Gunn,  Benjamin  T.  Crouch,  Jona- 
than Stamper,  George  W.  Taylor,  Eichard  Corwine, 
and  Richard  D.  Neale,  in  charge  of  the  same  Dis- 
tricts they  .had  traveled  the  year  before.  John 
James,  who  had  presided  over  the  Bowling  Green 
District,  was  appointed  to  the  Covington  District, 
in  place  of  Thomas  W.  Chandler,  who  was  sent  to 
the  Millersburg  Circuit;  while  James  King  suc- 
ceeded Mr.  James  on  the  Bowling  Green  District. 
In  the  Augusta  District,  James  Ward  was  returned 
to  the  Fleming  Circuit,  and  Josiah  Whitaker  to  the 
Lewis  Circuit.  In  the  Lexington  District,  Absalom 
Woolliscroft,  who  had  been  supernumerary  on  the 
Burlington  Circuit,  was  returned  to  it  in  an  effective 
relation.  In  the  Louisville  District,  Clinton  Kelly 
was  returned  to  the  Jefferson  Circuit,  James  D. 
Holding  to  the  Newcastle  Circuit,  while  Joseph  D. 
Barnett  was  sent  to  the  Brandenburg — a  new  circuit 
formed  from  a  portion  of  the  Hardinsburg,  which 
he  had  traveled  the  previous  year.  In  the  Shelby- 
ville  District,  Williams  B.  Kavanaugh  was  reap- 
pointed to  the  Shelby  Circuit,  and  Robinson  E. 
Sidebottom  to  the  Hodgenville  Circuit.  Turning 
to  the  Harrodsburg  District,  the  name  of  Joel  Peak 
again  appears  on  the  Madison  Circuit,  and  that  of 
Andrew  Peace   on   the  Somerset   Circuit.     In   the 


310  Western   Cavaliers. 

Bowling  Green  District,  Thomas  Waring  was  again 
sent  to  Greensburg,  and  Robert  Fisk  to  Burksville. 
In  the  Ilopkinsville  District,  Abram  Long  again 
travels  the  La  Fayette  Circuit,  and  Napoleon  B. 
Lewis  the  Greenville  Circuit.  In  the  Barboursville 
District,  William  B.  Landrum  was  again  sent  to  the 
Louisa  Circuit. 

The  two  years  through  which  we  have  just  passed 
were  crowned  with  remarkable  success.  While  we 
shall  not  be  permitted  the  present  year  to  record  such 
extraordinary  triumphs  as  those  we  have  just  wit- 
nessed, yet  it  will  be  our  privilege  to  behold  the 
Church  still  moving  forward  in  the  great  work  in 
which  it  was  engaged. 

Calvin  W.  Lewis,  who  was  a  preacher  of  consid- 
erable promise,  was  sent  to  the  Minerva  Circuit. 
The  pleasant  village  of  Augusta  was  a  leading  ap- 
pointment in  this  circuit.  The  Augusta  College — 
the  oldest  Methodist  college  in  America — was  lo- 
cated at  this  point.  Joseph  S.  Tomlinson,  Henry 
B.  Bascom,  Joseph  M.  Trimble,  and  Burr  H.  Mc- 
( 'own,  composed  the  Faculty.  Methodism,  not  only 
in  the  village,  but  throughout  the  adjoining  country, 
was  largely  indebted  for  the  elevated  position  it  oc- 
cupied  to  the  ministry  of  these  faithful  men.  At 
Minerva,  Dover,  Germantown,  and  Mount  Zion,  from 
time  to  time,  they  dispensed  the  word  of  life,  and 
through  their  instrumentality  many  were  brought 
to  Christ.  In  Augusta,  in  connection  with  the  pas- 
tor, they  labored  assiduously  to  build  up  the  Church 
and  to  promote  the  cause  of  God. 

On  the  11th  of  January,  1840,  a  meeting  was  com- 


Western    Cavaliers.  311 

memced  in  Augusta,  by  Mr.  Lewis,  in  winch  the 
Faculty  participated,  and  at  which  one  hundred 
persons  joined  the  Church,  twenty-two  of  whom 
were  students  in  the  college.  The  revival  which 
commenced  at  this  meeting  extended  to  the  country 
appointments,  and  before  the  first  of  March  two 
hundred  persons  were  added  to  the  Church.  The 
good  work  continued  to  spread.  At  Mount  Zion — 
a  popular  preaching-plaee,  four  miles  from  Augusta 
— a  meeting  was  held  in  May,  at  which  Mr.  Lewis 
was  assisted  by  James  Savage,  a  local  preacher  from 
Germantown,  and  Messrs.  Trimble  and  McCown, 
where  fifty-six  persons  joined  the  Church.  At  the 
close  of  the  year  the  pastor  reported  three  hundred 
additions. 

In  the  spring  of  1838  a  young  preacher  made  his 
appearance  in  Kentucky,  who  was  destined  to  bear 
a  prominent  part  in  the  history  of  the  Church  and 
to  occupy  a  commanding  eminence  for  more  than  a 
generation. 

John  II.  Linn  was  horn  in  Lewisburg,  Virginia, 
February  22,  1812.  From  his  early  childhood  he 
was  impressed  with  the  importance  of  religion,  and 
was  deeply  convicted  of  his  own  sinful  condition. 
Having  been  taught  the  fear  of  God  from  his  in- 
fancy, it  was  no  difficult  task  for  him  to  call  upon 
the  Lord  and  plead  for  pardon.  In  the  fourteenth 
year  of  his  age  he  was  happily  converted.  Brought 
up  under  Presbyterian  influence,  he  was  naturally 
inclined  to  join  that  Church,  but,  for  reasons  satis- 
factory to  himself,  did  not  do  so.  In  the  fifteenth 
year  of  his  age  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  some 


312  Western   Cavaliers. 

Methodist  preachers,  for  whom  he  formed  a  warm 
attachment,  and  through  their  influence  became  a 
member  of  the  Methodist  Church.  In  1836  he  was 
admitted  on  trial  into  the  Baltimore  Conference, 
and  was  appointed,  with  Francis  M.  Mills,  to  the 
Franklin  Circuit,  with  Norval  Wilson  as  his  Pre- 
siding Elder.  In  1837  his  field  of  labor  was  the 
Lexington  Circuit  (with  the  same  Presiding  Elder), 
as  the  colleague  of  George  W.  Humphreys.  His 
wife  was  Ann  Eliza  Woodard,  daughter  of  W.  II. 
Woodard,  of  Kentucky,  a  lady  of  superior  intellect, 
of  fervent  piety,  and  uncompromising  devotion  to 
the  Church.  This  influenced  his  transfer  to  Ken- 
tucky, in  1838.  The  death  of  the  lamented  Gibbons 
made  a  vacancy  on  the  Georgetown  Circuit,  and  the 
Church  was  so  fortunate  as  to  secure  the  appoint- 
ment of  Mr.  Linn  for  the  remainder  of  the  year. 

He  was  an  excellent  preacher  from  the  time  he 
entered  the  ministry.  When  the  Conference  held 
its  session  in  Baltimore  in  1837,  at  the  close  of  his 
first  year  in  the  itinerant  ministry,  he  was  appointed 
to  preach  in  the  First  Presbyterian  Church,  then 
under  the  pastoral  care  of  Dr.  Backus,  the  successor 
of  Dr.  Kevins;  he  preached  on  Rom.  viii.  38,  39: 
"For  I  am  persuaded,  that  neither  death,  nor  life, 
nor  angels,  nor  principalities,  nor  powers,  northings 
present,  nor  things  to  come,  nor  height,  nor  depth, 
nor  any  other  creature,  shall  be  able  to  separate  us 
from  the  love  of  God,  which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our 
Lord."  Our  informant,  who  was  present  on  the 
occasion,  tells  us  that  it  was  a  masculine  effort,  and 
was  ><>  considered  by  the  highly  intelligent  congre- 


Western   Cavaliers.  313 

gation  to  which  it  was  delivered.  It  foreshadowed 
the  high  position  which  he  was  destined  to  occupy 
in  the  ministry. 

We  remember  his  first  appearance  in  the  Confer- 
ence of  1838.  He  was  young  and  buoyant — the 
very  picture  of  health — and  promised  to  the  Church 
many  years  of  labor  and  of  usefulness.  He  came  to 
the  West  asking  no  other  favor  than  to  be  recognized 
as  a  brother  and  a  fellow-laborer  in  the  Master's 
vineyard  —  to  work  wherever  the  interest  of  the 
Church  might  demand. 

During  the  brief  period  he  had  labored  on  the 
Georgetown  Circuit  he  not  only  won  golden  opin- 
ions from  the  people,  but  he  was  successful  in  win- 
ning souls  to  Christ.  His  commanding  presence, 
his  piety,  his  zeal,  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of  the 
Redeemer,  together  with  his  extraordinary  talents, 
not  only  rendered  him  useful  in  a  high  degree,  but 
indicated  the  lofty  eminence  he  would  occupy  in  the 
coming  years. 

At  the  Kentucky  Conference  of  1838  he  was  re- 
turned to  the  Georgetown  Circuit,  with  George  W. 
Simcoe  as  his  colleague,  where  he  spent  a  happy 
and  prosperous  year. 

We  have  already  alluded  to  the  sermon  he 
preached  during  the  session  of  the  Conference  in 
Russellville.  It  was  on  Thursday  evening.  The 
Methodist  Church  was  crowded  to  overflowing, 
while  many  stood  at  the  doors  and  windows.  We 
saw  him  as  he  entered  the  house,  and  watched  him 
as  he  walked  down  the  aisle,  in  that  careless  man- 
ner which  has  .always  characterized  him,  his  large 

14 


314  W  E  STERN     C  A  VALIERS. 

gray  eye  resting  on  the  floor.  He  entered  the  pul- 
pit and  knelt  for  a  few  minutes  in  silent  prayer. 
The  hymn,  the  public  prayer,  the  "voluntary,"  fol- 
lowed each  other  in  rapid  succession.  The  text 
was,  "Gather  my  saints  together  unto  me."*  In 
the  commencement  of  the  sermon  the  preacher  was 
considerably  embarrassed.  It  was  his  first  attempt 
to  preach  in  the  presence  of  the  Kentucky  Con- 
ference, and  his  words  were  tremblingly  uttered. 
Baseom,  Tomlinson,  Stamper,  Crouch,  and  Kava- 
nangh,  who  took  rank  with  the  ablest  preachers  in 
America,  were  present.  A  few  introductory  re- 
marks were  offered,  on  the  life  and  character  of  the 
sweet  singer  of  Israel,  and  then  he  entered  into  a 
rigid  examination  of  the  word  "saint,"  and  what 
constitutes  a  saint  in  the  sight  of  God.  To  become 
a  saint  requires,  on  the  part  of  a  sinner,  repentance 
toward  God  and  faith  toward  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ; 
while  God,  on  his  part,  introduces  him  into  his  family 
by  justification,  regeneration,  adoption,  and  sanc- 
tification.  With  great  clearness  he  presented  the 
difference  between  the  justification  and  the  regenera- 
tion of  the  sinner — the  former  merely  changing  the 
relation  to  God,  while  the  latter  changes  his  nature. 
Regeneration,  as  he  understood  it  to  be  taught  in  the 
Bible,  was  a  thorough  and  radical  work  of  grace  in 
the  heart,  affecting  all  the  component  parts  of  the 
moral  constitution;  it  was,  emphatically,  a  new  birth. 
A  religion  that  would  not  accomplish  this  fails  in 
its  grand  design,  and  is  not  of  God.  He,  moreover, 
affirmed  that  the  regeneration  of  the  penitent  be- 
*  Psalm  1.  5. 


Western    Cavaliers.  315 

liever  is  accompanied  by  the  witness  of  the  Holy 
Spirit,  hearing  testimony  with  his  spirit  that  he  is 
horn  of  God.  "  He  that  believeth  on  the  Son  of  God 
hath  the  witness  in  himself."*  "What  is  the  wit- 
ness?" he  inquired.  "  Let  the  apostle  answer :  '  The 
Spirit  itself  heareth  witness  with  our  spirit,  that  we 
are  the  children  of  God.'f  The  necessity  of  such 
testimony  cannot  but  be  apparent  to  every  thinking 
mind."  Without  it  the  Christian  cannot  be  happy, 
because  lie  cannot  know  whether  he  is  in  God's 
favor  or  under  condemnation."  In  touching  lan- 
guage he  referred  to  the  adoption  of  the  regenerated 
person  into  the  family  of  God,  and  then  showed 
that  Christ  demands  of  all  his  followers  that  they 
"grow  in  grace,"  J  and  that  they  add  to  their  "faith 
virtue;  and  to  virtue,  knowledge;  and  to  knowledge, 
temperance;  and  to  temperance,  patience;  and  to 
patience,  godliness;  and  to  godliness,  brotherly  kind- 
ness; and  to  brotherly  kindness,  charity;" §  and 
never  stop  until  they  have  fathomed  every  depth  and 
ascended  every  height  of  religious  life,  and  are  sanc- 
tified of  God.  The  life  of  a  Christian  is  an  active 
life:  "For  we  are  laborers  together  with  God"|| — 
not  loiterers.  No  Christian,  for  a  moment,  dares 
pause  amid  the  conquests  he  has  won.  If  success 
has  been  achieved,  if  victories  have  been  won,  diffi- 
culties yet  confront  us  in  the  great  battle  of  life,  and 
we  dare  not  rest  on  our  arms  until  every  foe  is  con- 
cpiered.  Then,  and  not  until  then,  will  our  warfare 
be  over,  and  our  victory  complete. 

*  L  John  v.  10.    f  Kom.  viii.  1 6.     ;j;  2  Pet,  iii.  18.    §2  Pet.  i.  5-7. 
II  1  Cor.  iii.  9. 


31G  Western    Cavaliers. 

The  peroration  was  thrilling  beyond  description. 
He  had  found  man  a  sinner  in  the  sight  of  God, 
exposed  to  almighty  wrath;  he  had  watched  him  as 
the  Holy  Spirit  arrested  him  in  his  career  to  ruin; 
he  had  seen  him  as  he  resolved  upon  a  better  life, 
and  when  he  "tasted  the  good  word  of  God,  and 
the  powers  of  the  world  to  come;"  *  he  had  followed 
him  through  every  conflict  in  which  he  had  been  en- 
gaged, and  beheld  him  when  victory  perched  upon 
his  banner;  he  watched  his  progress  as  he  ascended 
the  mountain-heights  of  religious  life,  until  he  was 
sanctified  throughout  spirit,  and  soul,  and  body,  and 
become  "pure  even  as  He  is  pure;"  and  then,  like  a 
ripe  shock  ready  to  be  gathered,  he  saw  him  as  he 
entered  the  "  valley  of  the  shadow  of  death,"  j  and 
listened  to  strains  of  rapture  as  they  came  back 
from  the  borders  of  the  spirit-world;  and  he  con- 
templated, too,  the  joys  that  awaited  him  amid  the 
resplendent  glories  of  the  heavenly  state.  Time 
passes  on;  the  world  becomes  hoary  with  age,  and 
its  affairs  are  winding  to  their  close;  the  judgment- 
day  is  at  hand,  and  the  nations  are  to  be  called  from 
lie'  sleep  of  ages,  to  hear  their  final  sentence;  but 
icherc  an  tk  saints  of  God?  Scattered  throughout 
the  world;  buried,  many  of  them,  in  unknown 
graves,  their  names  have  perished  from  the  page  of 
the  world's  memory;  no  hand  of  friendship  may 
plant  over  their  graves  the  evergreen — the  emblem 
of  immortality — nor  the  rose,  to  throw  its  fragrance 
on  the  balmy  air;  no  tears  of  affection  may  mingle 
with  the  dust  that  conceals  them  from  human  view; 
Eeb.  vi.  6.     f  Psalm  xxiii.  4. 


Western    Cavaliers.  317 

but  the  ever-watchful  eye  of  God  lias  kept  vigils 
over  them,  and  not  one,  however  humble  and  lowly 
in  life,  will  be  overlooked  or  forgotten.  Hark!  an 
angel  is  summoned  to  the  presence  of  God,  and 
Jehovah  says  to  him:  "  Go,  ' gather  my  saints  to- 
gether unto  me.'  Let  them  be  the  first  to  be  raised 
from  the  dead!"  " Where  shall  I  go?'"'  asks  the 
angel.  "Go  to  the  cave  in  the  field  of  Machpelah; 
call  up  Abraham  and  Sarah,  Isaac  and  Rebecca,  and 
Jacob  and  Leah.  Go  to  Mount  Nebo,  and  find  the 
grave  of  Moses,  and  bid  him  come  back  to  life.  Go 
to  the  city  of  David,  and  find  the  sepulcher  of  the 
son  of  Jesse,  whose  dulcet  strains  have  chased  sor- 
row from  ten  thousand  hearts,  and  tell  him,  'I  am 
the  resurrection  and  the  life.'  *  Go  to  the  graves 
of  the  prophets  who  foretold  the  advent  of  the 
woman's  conquering  Seed  and  the  splendors  of  his 
reign,  and  tell  them,  'Because  I  live,  ye  shall  live 
also.'f  Go  to  the  imperial  city,  where  Paul  the 
apostle  slumbers,  and  awaken  him  from  the  sleep  of 
centuries.  Go  to  Germany,  and  gather  Luther  and 
Melanchthon.  Go  to  England,  and  lift  the  stone 
from  the  grave  of  John  Wesley,  and  tell  him  to  rise 
and  throw  off  the  fetters  of  the  tomb.  Call  Coke 
from  his  coral  bed,  where  he  has  slept  so  long.  Go  to 
Africa,  and  awaken  Mellville  B.  Cox.  Go  to  Amer- 
ica, and  call  Asbury  from  his  tomb  in  the  Monu- 
mental City,  and  McKendree  from  the  forests  of 
Tennessee.  Wherever  one  of  my  saints  sleeps,  go 
and  awake  him,  and  'gather  him  unto  me.'"  The 
angel  continues  his  search,  and  from  ocean  and  from 
*John  xi.  25.     f  John  xiv.  19. 


318  Western    Cavaliers. 

earth  the  saints  of  God  arc  rising;  from  every  con- 
tinent, every  island,  and  every  isthmus,  they  are 
coming,  in  obedience  to  the  summons  of  God.  In 
his  majestic  flight  through  the  world  he  overtakes 
Death,  who  tries  to  escape  from  his  presence,  and 
asks  him  whether  a  saint  of  God  is  confined  within 
his  empire.  "Xo,"  he  replies;  "I  have  captured 
thousands,  and  carried  them  to  my  dominions,  and 
hound  them  with  fetters.  I  thought  I  had  them 
secure,  but  they  have  broken  the  massive  bars, 
abandoned  the  graves  where  they  had  slumbered 
Long,  and  destroyed  my  power  forever/"'  He  meets 
the  prince  of  darkness,  and  inquires  whether  one 
saint  can  be  found  within  his  realm.  "No,  not  one; 
but  it  is  no  fault  of  mine.  I  followed  them  through 
every  step  of  life;  I  offered  them  the  world,  with 
all  its  pageantry,  and  tinsel,  and  glare,  if  they  would 
serve  me;  I  pledged  them  riches,  and  pleasure,  and 
fame;  but  their  ears  were  deaf  to  my  persuasions;  I 
confronted  them  with  difficulties,  but  they  overcame 
them ;  I  placed  snares  in  their  path,  but  they  shunned 
them ;  I  left  no  means  unemployed  to  destroy  them, 
but  they  eluded  my  grasp.  Xo,  not  one  is  to  be 
found  in  all  the  regions  of  woe."  The  work  is  done, 
and  the  angel  returns  to  God. 

From  the  Conference  at  Russellville  Mr.  Linn  was 
appointed  to  Maysville,  one  of  the  most  pleasant 
stations  in  the  Conference.  He  entered  upon  his 
work  as  early  after  the  close  of  the  Conference  as 
Avas  practicable,  meeting  with  a  cordial  reception 
from  the  Church  and  the  community.  During  the 
winter  his  congregations  were  large  and  attentive, 


Western    Cavaliers.  319 

and  considerable  interest  was  manifested  amongst 
the  people  on  the  subject  of  religion.  Early  in  Feb- 
ruary a  meeting  was  commenced,  in  which  he  was 
assisted  by  Mr.  Maftitt,  during  which  one  hundred 
and  fifteen  persons  were  added  to  the  Church,  and 
more  than  that  number  happily  converted.  The 
influence  of  this  meeting  extended  through  the  en- 
tire community,  leaving  its  benedictions  on  many  a 
heart.  Other  Communions  realized  blessings  from 
it.  Under  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Linn  the  white  mem- 
bership in  Maysville  increased  from  one  hundred 
and  fifty  to  three  hundred  and  five,  and  the  colored 
from  eighty-two  to  one  hundred  and  sixty. 

While  Mr.  Linn  was  stationed  in  Maysville  he 
made  a  visit  to  Georgetown,  his  former  field  of  labor. 
The  Church  he  had  served  so  faithfully  and  the 
community  in  which  he  had  lived  so  pleasantly 
were  glad  to  see  him  again.  He  was  met  by  them 
with  a  cordiality  and  warmth  that  thrilled  him  with 
emotions  he  could  not  conceal.  Among  his  numer- 
ous admirers  was  an  old  colored  member  of  the 
Church.  The  preacher  had  left  them  the  autumn 
before,  well  but  plainly  dressed.  The  warm  hand 
and  generous  heart  of  friendship,  in  Maysville,  had 
dressed  him  handsomely.  Wrapped  in  a  fine  and 
costly  cloak,  he  was  met  by  the  old  man  on  the 
street,  and  accosted  with,  "Well,  well,  you  sorter 
looked  like  Brother  Linn;  but  you  gotten  to  be  so 
much  like  a  gentleman  that  I  declare  I  did  n't  know 
you.  I 's  so  glad  to  see  you,  ef  you  is  a  gentleman." 
We  take  leave  of  Mr.  Linn  here,  but  shall  meet  him 
before  our  volume  closes. 


320  Western    Cavaliers. 

In  the  German  town  Circuit,  George  S.  Savage 
was  very  successful.  At  a  meeting  at  the  Shannon 
Meeting-house,  in  Mason  county,  one  hundred  per- 
sons joined  the  Church. 

Daniel  S.  Barksdale  was  this  year  sent  to  the 
Fleming  Circuit,  will)  James  Ward  as  his  colleague. 
Mr.  Barksdale  was  born  May  14,  1812,  in  Wilson 
county,  Tennessee.  He  was  converted  and  joined 
the  Church,  under  the  ministry  of  Peter  Akers, 
September  12,  1827,  in  Russellville,  Kentucky.  In 
1834  he  entered  the  Kentucky  Conference,  and  was 
appointed,  with  John  Nevius,  to  the  Big  Sandy  Cir- 
cuit. In  1835  he  was  sent  to  the  Bowling  Green 
Circuit,  with  William  S.  Evans,  and  in  1836  to  the 
Kentucky  Mission.  At  the  Conference  of  1837  he 
was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Hardinsburg  Circuit,  and 
was  sent  to  the  Yellow  Banks  Circuit  in  1838.  In 
a  previous  chapter  we  have  referred  to  the  success 
which  followed  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Barksdale  on 
the  Hardinsburg  and  Yellow  Banks  Circuits,  where 
he  received  several  hundred  persons  into  the  Church. 
We  succeeded  him  in  both  these  fields,  and  had 
every  opportunity  to  witness  the  result  of  his  labors. 
From  the  time  he  entered  the  Conference  until  he 
located,  at  the  close  of  this  year,  he  labored  with  the 
zeal  of  a  true  minister  of  Christ,  and  was  the  hon- 
ored instrument  in  doing  much  good.  Whether  he 
preached  along  the  waters  of  the  Big  Sandy  or  on 
the  fertile  lands  of  Warren  county,  whether  he  pro- 
claimed the  tidings  of  salvation  amid  the  valleys 
and  mountains  of  South-eastern  Kentucky  or  along 
the  banks  of  the  Ohio,  his  trumpet  gave  no  uncer- 


Western    Cavaliers.  321 

tain  sound;  he  was  beloved  by  the  people  he  served, 
and  many  were  brought  to  Christ  through  his  labors. 
The  fields  he  occupied  not  only  extended  over  a  large 
area  of  country,  but  the  most  of  them  were  difficult 
to  travel.  From  twenty  to  thirty  appointments  were 
to  be  filled  every  four  weeks,  besides  preaching  fre- 
quently at  nights.  These,  together  with  long  rides 
and  the  exposure  incident  to  the  life  of  a  traveling 
preacher,  during  the  period  he  was  in  the  service, 
were  too  much  for  a  delicate  frame  like  his.  The 
Fleming  Circuit  was  the  lightest  charge  he  had  ever 
filled,  and  yet  it  embraced  nineteen  appointments. 
Here,  as  elsewhere,  he  labored  incessantly,  and  won 
souls  to  Christ.  His  health,  however,  became  too 
much  enfeebled  during  the  year  for  him  to  longer 
prosecute  the  high  and  holy  calling  to  which  he  had 
so  faithfully  devoted  six  years  of  his  life.  It  cost 
him  a  hard  struggle  to  retire  from  the  itinerant 
ranks.     He  located  at  the  close  of  this  year. 

The  Lewis  Circuit  increased  from  five  hundred 
and  five  to  seven  hundred  and  forty-eight  in  the 
white  membership,  although  there  was  a  decrease 
of  nine  in  the  colored.  Josiah  Whitaker,  who  had 
charge  of  this  circuit,  not  only  labored  with  dili- 
gence and  zeal,  but  he  gathered  the  rich  fruit  of  his 
toil  in  the  hundreds  who,  under  his  ministry,  were 
brought  to  Christ. 

The  work  of  grace  which  had  begun  in  Newport, 
under  the  ministry  of  Robert  Y.  McReynolds  the 
previous  year,  was  still  in  progress.  Wesley  G. 
Montgomery,  an  educated  and  deeply  pious  young 
man,  had  been  appointed  to  the  station.  As  a 
14* 


322  Western    Cavaliers. 

preacher  Mr.  Montgomery  did  not  take  high  rank, 
but  as  a  nastor  he  excelled.  During  the  winter 
thirty  persons  were  added  to  the  Church. 

Robert  Y.  McReynolds  was  appointed  to  Coving- 
ton. He  was  born  in  Allen  county,  Kentucky,  Jan- 
uary 20,  1809.  He  embraced  religion  September  17, 
1826,  and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  following  November.  On  the  23d  of  Decem- 
ber, 1827,  he  was  licensed  to  exhort,  and  with  no 
other  authority  he  traveled  the  Christian  Circuit,  as 
the  colleague  of  Blachley  C.  Wood,  the  remainder 
of  the  year.  At  a  camp-meeting  held  in  the  neigh- 
borhood in  which  he  was  born  and  brought  up,  in 
August,  1828,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  and  recom- 
mended to  the  Kentucky  Conference  for  admission 
into  the  traveling  connection. 

The  first  appointment  of  Mr.  MeReynolds  was  to 
the  Logan  Circuit,  as  the  junior  preacher — John  S. 
Barger  being  in  charge.  At  the  following  Confer- 
ence lie  was  sent  to  the  Cynthiana  Circuit,  with 
Josiah  Whitaker.  In  1830  his  field  of  labor  was 
the  Livingston  Circuit,  and  in  1831  the  Henderson 
( Jircuit.  At  the  Conference  of  1832  wTe  find  him  on 
the  Hartford  Circuit,  in  1833  on  the  Taylorsville 
Circuit,  and  in  1834  on  the  Jefferson  Circuit.  He 
traveled  the  Breckinridge  Circuit  in  1835,  and  the 
Louisa  Circuit  in  1836.  We  follow  him  to  the 
Franklin  Circuit  in  1837,  to  Newport  in  1838,  and 
from  thence  to  Covingt6n  in  1839,  where  we  now 
find  him. 

Possessed  of  a  good  mind,  and  entering  the  itin- 
eranl  field  when  he  was  only  a  youth,  and  influenced 


Western    Cavaliers.  323 

by  the  single  motive  of  doing  good,  but  few  young 
men  gave  signs  of  greater  promise  than  Robert  Y. 
McReynolds.  Whether  performing  the  duties  of 
an  itinerant  preacher  on  circuits  or  in  stations,  he 
was  instrumental  in  the  accomplishment  of  good. 
Under  his  ministry  sinners  were  awakened,  peni- 
tents converted,  and  the  Church  established.  We 
first  met  with  him  in  1835,  while  he  was  in  attend- 
ance on  the  Conference  at  Shelbyville,  and  just  after 
he  had  closed  his  year  on  the  Breckinridge  Circuit. 
During  an  evening  he  spent  at  our  home  we  listened 
with  pleasure  to  his  conversation  on  the  subject  of 
the  life  of  an  itinerant  preacher,  on  which  we  be- 
lieved it  our  duty  to  enter.  We  then  formed  an 
attachment  for  him  that  increased  through  the  pass- 
ing years. 

In  Newport  his  ministry  had  been  greatly  blessed 
in  the  conversion  of  souls,  but  in  Covington  his  work 
seemed  to  be  confined  to  building  up  and  strength- 
ening the  Church.  In  that  charge  he  made  many 
friends,  and  left  behind  him  the  savor  of  a  good 
name. 

The  white  membership  in  the  Falmouth  Circuit 
increased  from  five  hundred  and  twenty-two  to  six 
hundred  and  thirty-eight,  and  the  colored  member- 
ship from  thirty-two  to  forty.  The  preacher,  Wil- 
liam C.  McMahon,  was  zealous  and  useful. 

In  the  Cynthiana  Circuit,  under  the  ministry  of 
George  W.  Mcrritt,  the  Church  enjoyed  great  pros- 
perity. At  a  quarterly-meeting  held  in  Cynthiana, 
under  the  faithful  preaching  of  John  James,  the 
Presiding  Elder,  and  George  W.  Mcrritt,  thirty  per- 


324  Western    Cavaliers. 

sons  witnessed  a  good  profession  and  joined  the 
Church.  Mr.  Maffitt  reached  Cynthiana  while  the 
meeting  was  in  progress,  and  entered  into  the  work 
with  the  zeal  for  which  he  had  elsewhere  been  dis- 
tinguished. The  congregations,  already  large,  were 
increased  to  overflowing,  and  the  religious  interest 
widened  and  spread  all  through  the  community. 
Two  hundred  persons  professed  to  be  converted, 
and  joined  the  Church.  The  influence  of  the  re- 
vival in  Cynthiana  extended  to  the  adjacent  coun- 
try, and  many  were  brought  from  darkness  to  light. 
It  reached  the  Leesburg  Circuit — the  preacher  in 
charge  being  George  W.  Simcoe — and  more  than 
one  hundred  souls  turned  away  from  a  life  of  sin  to 
a  life  of  purity  and  holiness.  In  the  Paris  Circuit, 
where  John  C.  Hardy  preached  the  gospel,  a  deep 
religious  feeling  prevailed;  while  in  the  Sharpsburg 
Circuit  Thomas  Demoss  received  eighty-two  persons 
into  the  Church. 

While  such  displays  of  divine  power  were  mani- 
fesl  ed  in  the  Covington  District,  rejoicing  and  praise 
were  heard  in  almost  every  portion  of  the  Lexing- 
ton District.  In  the  city  of  Lexington  the  Church 
grew  stronger,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  George 
W.  Brush;  while  in  the  Winchester  Circuit,  under 
the  ministry  of  Carlisle  Babbitt,  the  membership 
was  largely  increased.  In  Frankfort,  Peter  Taylor 
had  seasons  of  refreshing;  and  on  the  Georgetown 
Circuit,  under  the  ministry  of  Hartwell  J.  Perry 
and  Thomas  P.  Malone,  the  membership  was  nearly 
doubled.  In  the  Burlington  and  Carrollton  Cir- 
cuits— the  former  served  by  Absalom  Woolliscroft 


Western    Cavaliers.  325 

and  Thomas  Hall,  and  the  latter  by  James  C.  Crow 
and  James  I.  George — many  were  brought  to  Christ. 
No  charge  in  the  Lexington  District  was  more 
greatly  blessed  than  the  Versailles  Circuit.  Under 
the  ministry  of  Edwin  Roberts,  the  zealous  pastor, 
twenty-nine  persons  joined  the  Church  at  Nicholas- 
ville,  where  the  first  quarterly-meeting  was  held, 
and  three  hundred  were  added  to  the  Church  before 
the  close  of  the  year. 

While  the  Mount  Sterling  Circuit  reports  a  much 
smaller  membership  than  it  had  the  previous  year, 
yet  there  were  but  few  charges  in  the  District  that 
shared  more  largely  in  revival  influence  than  this. 
John  W.  Eiggin,  a  faithful  and  true  man,  was  the 
preacher,  and  under  his  ministry  many  were  brought 
from  darkness  to  light. 

The  labors  of  Mr.  Maffitt  in  Kentucky,  which  had 
extended  through  more  than  two  years,  and  had 
been  so  signally  blessed,  were  about  to  terminate. 
The  last  meeting  at  which  he  was  present  in  the 
State  was  held  in  Mount  Sterling,  commencing  Au- 
gust 1,  1840.  Here,  as  everywhere  else  he  had  la- 
bored, sinners  were  awakened,  penitents  converted, 
and  the  Church  revived.  At  the  close  of  the  meet- 
ing ninety-two  persons  had  witnessed  a  good  con- 
fession. A  camp-meeting  was  held  at  Poynter's 
Camp-ground,  immediately  after  the  close  of  the 
meeting  in  Mount  Sterling,  at  which  William  Gunn, 
Carlisle  Babbitt,  and  Thomas  Demoss,  were  present. 
Here  thirty-two  persons  professed  to  find  "  the  peace 
which  passeth  all  understanding." 

The  question  has  often  been  asked,  Why  was  it 


326  Western    Cavaliers. 

that  the  labors  of  John  Newland  Maffitt  were  so 
blessed  that  everywhere  be  preached  the  gospel  the 
work  of  God  was  revived? 

Mr.  Maffitt  was  a  man  of  one  work.  The  glory  of 
God  and  the  salvation  of  sinners  occupied  all  his 
thoughts  and  controlled  all  his  actions.  He  seemed 
to  think  of  nothing  else.  We  have  very  frequently 
known  him,  after  preaching  in  the  morning,  to  de- 
vote the  afternoon  to  religious  conversation  with 
seekers  of  religion,  and  then  preach  again  in  the 
evening,  and  afterward  spend  hours  at  the  altar,  and 
then  retire  late — not  yet  to  sleep,  but  to  think  of 
the  best  method  of  achieving  success.  We  have 
known  him  to  rise  frequently  during  the  night,  to 
pen  a  thought  that  had  occurred  to  his  mind,  or  to 
kneel  in  prayer  before  God.  His  responsibilities  to 
God  and  his  duty  to  man  absorbed  every  thought. 
Wherever  he  labored  he  not  only  expected,  but  re- 
solved, to  succeed,  and  his  boldness  and  zeal  inspired 
the  confidence  of  the  members  of  the  Church,  whom 
he  expected  and  required  to  cooperate  with  him.  He 
labored,  too,  with  an  energy  that  never  flagged.  He 
appeared  never  to  grow  weary.  As  long  as  a  peni- 
tent sinner  would  remain  at  the  altar  Mr.  Maffitt 
was  willing  to  stay  with  him,  and  sing,  and  pray, 
and  instruct  him.  He  was  no  respecter  of  persons. 
AVI i ether  sin  was  to  be  found  in  high  or  in  low 
places,  in  the  most  scathing  manner  he  rebuked  it. 
Ee  divested  it  of  all  its  covering,  and  exposed  it  in 
all  its  hideousness.  Tie  was  faithful  to  God  and 
earnest  in  saving  the  souls  of  his  fellow-men. 

It  docs  qo1  come  within  the  scope  of  the  present 


Western    Cavaliers.  327 

volume  to  follow  the  career  of  Mr.  Maffitt  farther; 
yet  it  will  not  be  improper  to  trace  his  history  to  the 
close  of  his  life. 

In  1841  he  was  elected  Chaplain  of  the  lower 
house  of  Congress.  .  He  discharged  the  duties  of 
this  position  with  great  credit  to  himself  and  with 
benefit  to  his  hearers.  In  the  capital  of  the  nation 
he  lost  none  of  the  reputation  he  had  won  in  the 
West. 

After  the  close  of  the  term  for  which  he  was 
elected  he  left  Washington  City,  and  visited  Rich- 
mond, Virginia,  and  other  cities  in  the  North  and 
East,  where  the  same  success  crowned  his  ministry 
as  in  Lexington,  Louisville,  and  other  cities  in  Ken- 
tucky. "  His  residence  was  mainly  in  the  Atlantic 
cities,  until  1847.  About  this  period  he  was  married 
to  Miss  Pierce,  of  Brooklyn,  New  York,  his  first 
wife  having  died  in  Galveston,  Texas.  As  some 
complaints  were  made  against  him,  and  his  Church- 
relations  falling  into  an  informal  state,  he  was  con- 
sidered as  having  withdrawn  his  membership  from 
the  Church  in  New  York.  Retiring  to  Arkansas, 
he  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South, 
and  was  licensed  to  preach  de  novo."  He  remained 
in  Arkansas  about  two  years,  when  he  left  that  State 
for  the  Gulf  cities. 

In  the  spring  of  1850  we  find  him  carrying  on  a 
religious  meeting  in  a  small  chapel  of  a  suburban 
village  of  Mobile,  Alabama.  This  was  the  last  meet- 
ing he  conducted. 

No  man  in  the  American  ministry,  so  far  as  we 
have  known,  has  ever  been  so  relentlessly  persecuted 


328  Western    Cavaliers. 

as  John  JNTewland  Maflitt.  We  are  not  surprised  at 
this.  The  Divine  Master  was  persecuted  before  him. 
The  hold  and  fearless  attacks  made  on  vice  by  Mr. 
Maflitt,  if  they  failed  to  persuade  the  ungodly  to 
ahuii don  their  evil  habits,  were  well  calculated  to 
embitter  and  array  them  against  him.  His  success, 
too,  in  the  great  work  that  occupied  his  life  had  a 
tendency  to  provoke  the  wrath  of  the  enemies  of 
the  Church.  Every  thing  that  hate,  and  envy,  and 
malice  could  invent,  to  impair  his  influence  and  to 
break  his  power,  was  said  and  done;  yet,  through 
more  than  thirty  years  in  which  he  preached  the 
gospel  of  Christ,  he  maintained  an  unsullied  reputa- 
tion as  a  Christian,  not  a  single  stain  ever  fastening 
itself  on  his  escutcheon.  Confiding  too  easily  in 
pretended  friendships,  we  are  not  surprised  that  he 
was  often  betrayed;  yet  no  betrayal  ever  cast  a 
blight  on  his  fair  name.  Malignant,  and  bitter,  and 
busy,  as  was  the  tongue  of  calumny,  he  cherished  no 
malice  against  his  enemies,  but  to  all  their  charges 
hi-  reply  was,  "God,  forgive  them!'*'  Guileless  in 
heart,  and  conscious  of  the  rectitude  of  his  inten- 
tions, he  ought  to  have  borne  up  under  the  heartless 
persecutions  that  were  leveled  against  him  to  the 
last.  No  man  knew  the  human  heart — its  depravity 
and  corruption — better  than  he  did,  and  he  ought 
not  to  have  allowed  his  spirit  to  be  broken  by  the 
continued  assaults  of  his  persecutors.  The  attacks 
upon  his  reputation  culminated  in  an  article  which 
appeared  on  Thursday  before  his  death  in  a  paper 
published  in  Mobile,  copied  from  the  Police  Gazette, 
of  \'W  York.     He  had  borne  much,  but  his  sensi- 


Western    Cavaliers.  329 

tive  nature  could  bear  no  more.  From  the  appear- 
ance of  this  article  lie  was  greatly  disturbed,  and 
never  slept.  His  sister — Mrs.  Ellen  Ball,  the  wife 
of  Dr.  Ball,  whom  he  was  visiting — was  hoarding 
with  Airs.  Ballasette,  where  Mr.  Maffitt  spent  his 
time.  Walking  the  floor  of  Mrs.  Ball's  room,  he 
frequently  pressed  his  heart,  exclaiming,  "  0  Ellen, 
they  have  broken  my  heart!"  and  again,  "My  poor 
heart'  is  breaking! " 

Upon  the  appearance  of  the  article  already  re- 
ferred to,  Mr.  Maffitt  was  advised  to  avenge  himself. 
To  this  advice  he  replied  that  "such  an  act  would 
be  inconsistent  with  Christian  life,"  and  quoted, 
"Vengeance  is  mine;  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord." 
On  Monday  morning  he  went  to  Toulminville — a 
suburban  village  of  Mobile — to  the  house  of  Major 
Reuben  Chamberlain.  "  Napoleon's  Grave "  was  his 
favorite  piece  of  music.  Between  six  and  seven 
o'clock  p.m.,  while  Miss  Chamberlain  was  playing 
this  piece,  Mr.  Maffitt  left  the  parlor  and  went  out 
on  the  gallery,  groaning  heavily.  Pie,  however,  im- 
mediately returned  to  the  hall,  and  fell  prostrate. 
He  was  lifted  up  and  carried  to  a  sofa.    While  lying 

there,  Mrs.  W said  to  him,  "Your  enemies  Avill 

outdo  you."  He  replied,  "They  will,"  and  prayed, 
"Lord,  have  mercy  on  them,  and  forgive  them!" 

Mrs.  W asked  him  if  he  could  forgive  them. 

He  replied,  "Yes,  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart; 
for  if  I  forgive  not,  how  can  I  expect  forgiveness?" 
Medical  attention  was  procured  without  delay.  Dr. 
E.  P.  Gaines  administered  an  opiate,  and  forbade  his 
talking.     He  spoke  but  little  afterward,  and  died, 


330  Western    Cavaliers. 

May  28, 1850,  at  fifteen  minutes  past  two  a.m.,  saying, 
"They  have  broken  my  heart!"'  He  was  buried  in 
Magnolia  Cemetery,  where  lie  still  sleeps.  No  mar- 
ble marks  the  spot.  His  grave  is  simply  bricked 
over. 

It  might  be  thought  that  after  the  death  of  Mr. 
Maffitt  the  tongue  of  slander  would  be  hushed.  But, 
no;  more  busy  than  before,  it  continued  to  follow 
him,  charging  that 'he  had  died  by  his  own  hand — 
that  poison  had  caused  his  death.  This  suspicion, 
which  nothing  but  the  most  malignant  hate  could 
have  suggested,  soon  found  its  way  into  the  press, 
and  spread  throughout  the  country.  It  was  due  the 
reputation  of  the  distinguished  dead,  and  it  was  due 
the  cause  of  the  Master  he  had  so  faithfully  served, 
that  this  slander  should  be  arrested.  After  consult- 
ing with  his  sister,  Mrs.  Ball,  Dr.  Jefferson  Hamilton 
and  the  Rev.  W.  H.  Milburn,  stationed  preachers 
in  the  city  of  Mobile,  determined  that  a  post  mortem 
examination  should  be  had,  under  the  ablest  medical 
supervision.  This  examination  silenced  at  once  and 
forever  the  heartless  calumny.  It  revealed  a  broken 
heart.  On  one  side  of  it  there  were  three  holes; 
the  other  side  had  literally  hurst*  They  had  broken 
his  heart.  Noble  man!  he  has  entered  into  the  rest 
that  "remaineth  to  the  people  of  God,"  and  to-day 
shares  its  bliss  with  the  many  thousands  who  were 
brought  to  Christ  through  his  ministry.  "  Sleep  on, 
and  take  thy  rest."     In  thine   own   beautiful  lan- 

*Dr.  Nott,  who  took  out  the  heart,  kept  it  for  several  weeks, 
and  then  sent  it  to  the  Medical  Faculty,  in  New  Orleans,  for 
examination.     It  was  returned  and  deposited  in  the  grave 


Western   Cavaliers.  331 

guage:  "The  sorrowful  bosom  Leaves  no  more,  the 
tears  are  dried  up  in  their  fountain,  the  aching  head 
is  at  rest,  and  the  stormy  waves  of  earthly  tribula- 
tion roll  unheeded  over  the  place  of  graves.  The 
voice  of  thunders  shall  not  awake  thee;  the  loud 
cry  of  the  elements,  the  winds,  the  waves,  nor  even 
the  giant  tread  of  the  earthquake,  shall  be  able  to 
cause  an  inquietude  in  the  chambers  where  thou 
dost  sleep."  God  watches  thy  dust,  and  will  at  last 
gather  it  unto  himself. 

The  Louisville  District  had  been  blessed  the  year 
before  to  a  greater  extent  than  any  other  District  in 
the  Conference.  The  work  of  the  Church  for  the 
present  year  looked  to  the  care  of  the  hundreds  who 
had  been  brought  into  the  fold  rather  than  to  new 
accessions.  In  several  portions  of  the  District,  how- 
ever, there  were  gracious  revivals  of  religion,  in 
which  many  were  added  to  the  Church. 

Thomas  N.  Ralston,  Henry  1ST.  Vandyke,  and 
William  Atherton,  were  sent  to  the  Fourth-street 
Station,  which  included  a  small  frame  church  on 
Eighth  street.  The  health  of  Mr.  Vandyke  was 
feeble;  indeed,  he  was  rapidly  hastening  to  the 
grave,  and  could  not  be  relied  on  for  any  service. 
The  membership  of  this  charge  amounted  to  seven 
hundred  and  live  whites  and  seven  hundred  and  six 
colored.  The  colored  Churches,  although  under  the 
supervision  of  the  preachers  appointed  to  Fourth- 
street,  were  supplied  with  preachers  of  their  own 
color.  This  large  membership,  five  hundred  of 
whom  were  new  members,  having  been  brought 
into  the  Church  under  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Maffitt 


332  Western    Cavaliers. 

the  previous  year,  required  much  care  and  atten- 
tion. Mr.  Ralston  and  Mr.  Atherton  were  diligent 
in  their  work.  Their  labor  during  the  winter  was 
excessive.  Revival  influence  existed  all  the  time, 
while  prayer  or  experience  meetings  were  held 
nearly  every  evening.  By  the  first  of  February 
thirty  persons  joined  the  Church.  In  the  prosecu- 
tion of  their  work  they 'were  assisted  by  a  noble 
membership — Hasbrook,  Howe,  Glassford,  Evans, 
Kendrick,  Buckles,  and  old  Sister  !New — while  Dr. 
Bright  and  Dr.  Pirtle,  worthy  local  preachers,  were 
always  ready  to  lend  a  helping  hand.  The  Brook- 
street  Church  had  for  their  pastor  Joseph  Marsee,  a 
good  preacher  and  a  true  man.  While  no  revival 
blessed  his  labors  in  this  station,  the  Church,  under 
his  ministry,  continued  in  a  prosperous  and  healthy 
state. 

In  the  Jefferson  Circuit  there  were  refreshing 
times.  At  a  camp-meeting  held  at  Hughes's  Camp- 
ground, six  miles  below  Louisville,  commencing  May 
20,  conducted  by  Moses  Levi,  the  senior  preacher, 
about  forty  persons  "passed  from  death  unto  life." 
It  was  our  privilege  to  be  present  at  that  meeting, 
and  to  witness  the  progress  of  the  good  work.  The 
Newcastle  Circuit,  in  which  the  year  before  several 
hundred  persons  had  joined  the  Church  under  the 
ministry  of  James  D.  Holding  and  William  H. 
Anderson,  continued  to  increase  in  numbers  and  in- 
fluence under  the  labors  of  James  D.  Holding,  who 
was  returned  to  this  field,  and  William  McD.  Abbott, 
the  junior  preacher.  While  the  Elizabethtown  Cir- 
cuit shows  a  decrease  in  the  membership,  when  com- 


Western   Cavaliers.  333 

pared  with  the  former  year,  yet  the  ministry  of 
Gilby  Kelly  was  greatly  blessed.  The  apparent  de- 
crease in  the  membership  was  the  result  of  a  change 
in  the  circuit,  by  which  some  of  the  Societies  Avere 
transferred  to  another  charge.  Besides  these  sea- 
sons of  prosperity,  seventy-three  persons  became 
members  of  the  Church  at  a  camp-meeting  held  at 
Cedar  Creek,  late  in  August,  or  early  in  September. 

Gilby  Kelly  was  born  in  Pulaski  county,  Ken- 
tucky, in  1812.  His  father  and  mother  were  dis- 
tinguished for  their  fervent  piety  and  devotion  to 
the  Methodist  Church,  of  which  they  were  zealous 
members.  We  do  not  know  in  what  year  he  em- 
braced religion,  but  when  only  twenty  years  of 
age  he  was  admitted  on  trial  by  the  Kentucky  Con- 
ference, which  held  its  session  in  Harrodsburg  in 
1832.  His  first  appointment  was  to  the  Hinckstone 
Circuit,  as  the  colleague  of  Daniel  H.  Tevis.  In 
1833  he  was  sent  to  the  Big  Sandy  Circuit,  with 
Thomas  Hall,  and  in  1834  to  Port  William.  His 
appointment  in  1835  was  to  the  Danville  Circuit, 
and  in  1836  to  the  Somerset  Circuit,  where  he  was 
brought  up  and  began  his  ministry.  At-  the  Con- 
ference of  1837  he  was  appointed  to  the  Hopkins- 
ville  Circuit,  where  he  remained  for  two  years;  and 
in  1839  we  find  him  on  the  Elizabethtown  Circuit. 

Being  wholly  uneducated  at  the  time  of  entering 
the  Conference,  he  resolved  to  acquire,  by  patient 
and  untiring  study,  that  which  had  been  denied  him 
in  his  childhood  and  youth.  With  an  intellect  far 
above  mediocrity,  lie  soon  stored  his  mind  with  use- 
ful knowledge,  and  at  an  early  age  took  rank,  not 


334  Western    Cavaliers. 

only  as  a  respectable  scholar,  but  as  an  able  minister, 
with  the  first  preachers  of  his  age  in  the  Conference. 
Genial  and  warm-hearted,  Gilby  Kelly  made  friends 
in  every  circle  in  which  he  was  thrown;  and  zealous 
and  active  in  the  work  of  the  ministry,  he  was  be- 
loved and  efficient  in  the  several  charges  he  filled. 
His  devotion  to  books  never  inclined  him  to  neglect 
his  work;  but,  "instant  in  season,  out  of  season," 
wherever  duty  called  him,  he  was  prompt  to  fulfill  its 
requirements.  As  an  example  for  young  men  who 
have  entered  the  ministry  without  educational  ad- 
vantages, we  point  with  pleasure  to  Gilby  Kelly,  to 
show  what  may  be  accomplished  by  industry  and 
perseverance. 

Albert  H.  Redford  and  Seraiah  S.  Deering  were 
sent  to  the  Yellow  Banks  Circuit.  It  was  here  that 
Daniel  S.  Barksdale  and  Richard  Holding  had  ac- 
complished so  much  good  the  year  before.  The 
circuit  had  been  left  in  a  healthy  condition,  and  a 
deep  religious  feeling  existed  throughout  its  bounds. 

Seraiah  S.  Deering,  for  so  young  a  man,  was  an 
excellent  preacher,  as  well  as  a  good  singer,  and  was 
powerful  in  exhortation.  Throughout  that  large 
and  interesting  field  he  traveled,  and  prayed,  and 
preached,  and  besought  men  to  be  reconciled  to  God. 
Sinners  were  everywhere  impressed  by  the  great 
truths  he  delivered,  and  in  all  portions  of  the  cir- 
cuit he  won  souls  to  Christ.  In  Owensboro,  in  Yel- 
vington,  in  Ilawesville,  and  throughout  the  country, 
he  preached  with  a  power  that  carried  conviction  to 
the  hearts  of  the  people.  Catholic  in  spirit,  deeply 
pious,  and  with  a  burning  zeal,  his  soft  and  mellow 


Western    Cavaliers.  335 

voice,  in  touching  and  winning  strains,  sent  forth 
its  notes  of  warning  and  of  comfort.  Fifty  persons 
joined  the  Church,  chiefly  under  his  ministry,  he- 
fore  the  first  of  February. 

Between  the  Methodist  and  Baptist  Churches  in 
the  town  of  Owensboro,  during  the  previous  year, 
there  had  been  some  difficulty,  which  resulted  in  an 
estrangement  of  feeling  between  these  two  Christian 
denominations,  and  the  wound  was  not  yet  healed. 
Methodism  was  still  rudely  assailed,  and  its  usages 
ridiculed.  It  was  deemed  proper,  not  only  by  the 
members  of  the  Methodist  Church,  but  by  citizens 
of  Owensboro,  to  invite  Mr.  Crouch,  the  Presiding 
Elder,  to  deliver  a  series  of  sermons  on  the  subjects 
and  mode  of  Christian  Baptism.  No  man  was  better 
prepared  for  such  a  task  than  Benjamin  T.  Crouch. 
Familiar  with  this  controversy,  in  all  its  ramifica- 
tions, no  opponent  could  successfully  meet  him  in 
debate.  He  accepted  the  invitation.  The  third 
quarterly-meeting  for  the  circuit  was  to  be  held  in 
Owensboro  in  the  month  of  May,  and  Mr.  Crouch 
fixed  on  that  occasion  as  a  proper  time  to  preach  on 
Baptism. 

On  Saturday  and  Sunday  he  held  his  quarterly- 
meeting,  and  on  Monday  preached  his  first  sermon 
on  the  points  in  controversy.  Mr.  John  L.  Waller,* 
an  able  debater,  and  the  editor  of  the  Western  Re- 
corder— the  leading  Baptist  journal  in  the  West — 
was  in  attendance,  together  with  quite  a  number  of 

-"Mr.  Waller  had  not  at  this  time  been  licensed  to  preach. 
He  often  delivered  what  he  called  "  Lectures  on  Baptism,"  and 

was  regarded  as  the  ablest  debater  in  that  Church. 


336  Western   Cavaliers. 

Baptist  preachers.  Never  was  a  community  more 
thoroughly  aroused.  Old  men,  who  had  seldom 
been  seen  at  a  house  of  worship,  were  present,  and 
many  came  from  a  distance  to  listen  to  this  gifted 
minister  of  Christ.  For  three  successive  days,  and 
on  each  occasion  for  three  full  hours,  he  held  the 
vasl  assembly  in  breathless  silence,  while  he  set  be- 
fore them  the  views  he  held  on  this  question. 

The  reply  of  Mr.  Waller  was  in  language  bitter, 
in  argument  tame. 

The  Methodist  Church  occupied,  from  this  time, 
a  more  elevated  plane  in  this  lovely  village. 

Jonathan  Stamper  was  still  in  charge  of  the  Shel- 
by ville  District.  The  Shelbyville  Station,  under  the 
ministry  of  Richard  Tydings,  continued  to  prosper. 
During  the  winter  considerable  interest  was  mani- 

o 

fested  on  the  subject  of  religion,  and  about  fifty 
persons  were  received  into  the  Church. 

The  Taylorsville  Circuit,  Andrew  J.  McLaughlin 
and  Elkanah  Johnson  being  in  charge,  was  greatly 
1  dosed  during  this  year.  Never  were  two  preachers 
nn  He  dissimilar  than  these,  and  no  two  men  labored 
more  in  harmony  to  advance  the  cause  of  the  Re- 
deemer. If  the  former  was  more  brilliant,  the  latter 
was  more  profound;  if  the  one  gained  the  affections 
and  favor  of  the  people  sooner,  the  other  held  them 
longer;  if  Mr.  McLaughlin  was  more  successful  in 
Lis  appeals  to  sinners,  Mr.  Johnson  was  better  quali- 
fied to  build  up  and  establish  the  Church.  Side  by 
side  these  two  good  men  preached  and  labored,  that 
sinners  might  be  saved.  Before  the  first  of  Janu- 
ary fifty  person.-  joined  the  Church;  and  at  a  meet- 


Western    Cavaliers.  337 

ing  held  in  Mount  Washington,  in  July,  there  were 
forty  additions  to  the  Society  in  that  village. 

William  D.  Matting  and  Andrew  M.  Bailey  trav- 
eled the  Salt  River  Circuit.  Although  Mr.  Matting 
only  entered  the  Conference  in  1837,  he  had  consid- 
erable experience  as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel.  He 
came  from  the  Cumberland  Presbyterian  Church,  in 
which  he  had  been  a  successful  and  popular  preacher 
for  several  years.  Mr.  Bailey  was  quite  a  youth, 
being  only  eighteen  years  of  age,  without  education 
and  without  experience.  He  had,  however,  been 
soundly  converted  to  God,  and  could  relate  his 
Christian  experience  and  recommend  religion  to 
others.  The  Salt  River  Circuit  was  one  of  the  best 
in  the  Conference,  and  embraced  several  communi- 
ties distinguished  for  their  culture  and  refinement. 
While  Mr.  Matting  preached  sermons  that  charmed 
the  crowded  audiences  that  heard  him,  young  Bailey 
exhorted,  and  wept  over  the  people,  and  pleaded 
with  them  to  turn  to  God.  Success  crowned  their 
labors:  nearly  three  hundred  persons  were  converted 
and  added  to  the  Church.  One  hundred  joined  at  a 
meeting  held  in  June. 

William  M.  Grubbs  was  stationed  in  Bardstown 
and  Poplar  Flat.  At  the  latter  place  an  interesting 
revival  occurred  in  June,  at  which  many  were 
brought  into  the  liberty  of  the  children  of  God, 
while  in  Bardstown  thirty  had  joined  earlier  in  the 
year. 

Robinson   E.    Sidebottom   was   returned   to   the 
Hodgenville  Circuit,  where  he  had  spent  a  pleasant 
and  profitable  year,  and  where  prosperity  again  fol- 
15 


338  W  e  s  t  e  r  n    Cavaliers. 

lowed  him.  Allen  Sears,  in  the  Litchfield  Circuit, 
witnessed  displays  of  divine  power,  and  "-good 
times"  were  reported  in  the  Lebanon  Circuit,  by 
Richard  I.  Dungan  and  Lorenzo  D.  Harlan. 

In  the  Harrodsburg  District,  the  Irvine  and  Lib- 
erty Circuits  are  the  only  appointments  in  which 
an  increase  is  reported  in  the  white  membership, 
and  in  these  it  is  small;  while  Harrodsburg  and 
Danville  Station  reports  an  increase  only  in  the 
colored  membership.  At  Harrodsburg,  however, 
Richard  Deering  received  sixty  persons  into  the 
Church. 

The  Bowling  Green  District  was  more  prosperous 
than  the  Llarrodsburg.  In  the  Columbia  Circuit, 
"William  M.  Crawford,  a  preacher  of  decided  pulpit 
ability,  received  into  the  Church  one  hundred  per- 
sons; while  Robert  Fisk,  on  the  Burksville  Circuit, 
was  equally  successful.  The  Greensburg  Circuit, 
through  the  instrumentality  of  Thomas  Waring, 
was  greatly  blessed;  and  in  the  Glasgow  Circuit, 
under  the  ministry  of  Robert  F.  Turner  and  Aaron 
H.  Rice,  more  than  one  hundred  persons  witnessed 
a  good  confession.  The  labors  of  Alanson  C.  De- 
witt  were  blessed  in  the  Scottsville  Circuit. 

In  the  Hopkinsville  District,  no  charge  enjoy  til 
such  prosperity  as  did  the  Princeton  Circuit,  under 
the  Labors  of  Robert  G.  Gardner  and  Samuel  Turner. 
Early  in  the  spring  indications  were  favorable  for  a 
general  revival.  Before  summer  began  the  entire 
circuit  was  in  a  flame,  and  at  the  close  of  the  year 
three  hundred  persons  professed  to  be  converted  to 
God,   and  fully  that   number  joined  the  Church. 


Western   Cavaliers.  339 

Napoleon  B.  Lewis,  who  traveled  the  Greenville 
Circuit,  had  many  seals  to  his  ministry. 

The  Barboursville  District  was  greatly  favored 
this  year.  In  the  Kentucky  Mission,  "good  times" 
were  reported  by  William  James,  the  pastor;  and 
in  the  Mount  Pleasant  Mission,  Nathanael  H.  Lee 
was  eminently  successful.  A  small  increase  was  re- 
ported in  the  Williamsburg,  the  Prestonsburg,  the 
Louisa,  and  the  Manchester  Circuits.  The  Bar- 
boursville Circuit,  under  the  ministry  of  Jedidiah 
Foster,  a  good  and  useful  preacher,  enjoyed  great 
prosperity.  The  white  membership  in  that  charge 
was  nearly  doubled,  and  there  was  also  an  increase 
in  the  colored. 

The  entire  increase  in  the  Conference  was  one 
thousand  six  hundred  and  eight  white  and  six  hun- 
dred and  nineteen  colored  members. 

Thomas  Smith,  who  had  before  traveled  the  Paris 
District,  succeeded  Thomas  Joyner,  who  had  spent 
four  years  in  this  new  and  interesting  field.  James 
R.  Walker  was  reappointed  to  the  Hickman  Cir- 
cuit, with  Jonathan  White  as  his  colleague.  This 
year  was  more  prosperous  than  the  year  before;  re- 
vivals crowned  the  labors  of  these  faithful  men. 

John  P.  Stanfield  entered  the  Tennessee  Confer- 
ence in  1836,  and  traveled  the  Sevierville  Circuit  as 
the  colleague  of  William  M.  McFerrin.  In  1837  he 
was  the  junior  preacher  on  the  Richland  Circuit, 
and  in  1838  was  in  charge  of  the  Henderson  Circuit. 
In  1839  we  find  him  traveling  the  Paducah  Circuit, 
where  his  ministry  was  greatly  blessed:  nearly  three 
hundred  persons  were  added  to  the  Church. 


340  Western    Cavaliers. 

The  preacher  on  the  Wadesboro  Circuit  was 
Daniel  Mooney,  who  had  just  been  admitted  into 
the  Conference.  We  are  always  glad  to  record  the 
success  of  a  young  preacher,  whose  labors  in  the 
itinerant  ranks  have  just  begun.  Mr.  Mooney  was 
instrumental  in  effecting  much  good:  nearly  two 
hundred  persons  joined  the  Church  in  his  charge. 

The  net  increase  in  Kentucky  this  year  was  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  eighty-one  white  and  six 
In  ml  red  colored  members. 


Western    Cavaliers.  341 


CHAPTER   IX. 

FEOM  THE  SESSION"  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CONFERENCE  OF 
1840  TO  THE  CONFEEENCE  OF  1841. 

He  shall  come  down  like  showers 

Upon  the  fruitful  earth, 
And  love,  joy,  hope,  like  flowers, 

Spring  in  his  path  to  birth: 
Before  him  on  the  mountains 

Shall  peace  the  herald  go; 
And  righteousness  in  fountains 

From  hill  to  valley  flow. 

BISHOP  MORRIS  presided  at  the  session  of  the 
Kentucky  Conference  which  met  in  Bards- 
town,  October  14,  1841. 

Thomas  E".  Ralston  was  elected  Secretary,  and 
"William  M.  Crawford  Assistant  Secretary. 

Jonathan  Stamper,  William  M.  Grubbs,  and  Hub- 
bard H.  Kavanaugh,  were  appointed  a  Committee 
on  Public  Worship. 

Josiah  Whitaker  was  appointed  to  take  charge  of 
the  colored  congregations. 

John  Christian  Harrison,  Daniel  S.  Barksdale,  and 
William  B.  Landrum,  were  appointed  Stewards  of 
the  Conference. 

Robert  Y.  McReynolds,  John  Beatty,  and  Gillry 


342  Western   Cavaliers. 

Kelly,  were  appointed  a  Committee  on  Necessitous 
Cases. 

Hubbard  H.  Kavanaugh,  Alanson  C.  Dewitt,  and 
Peter  Taylor,  composed  the  Committee  on  the  Book 
Concern  in  New  York. 

Hartwell  J.  Perry  and  William  H.  Anderson  were 
appointed  a  Committee  on  Post-offices.  It  was  made 
the  duty  of  this  committee  to  furnish  the  Book 
Agents  at  Xew  York  with  a  list  of  the  post-offices 
of  the  preachers. 

John  Tevis  and  George  W.  Brush  were  appointed 
a  Committee  on  Memoirs. 

At  the  previous  session  of  the  Conference  Henry 
B.  Bascom  was  appointed  by  the  Bishop  to  deliver, 
at  this  session,  the  annual  address  on  Education; 
John  James,  on  the  Christian  Ministry;  and  Richard 
Tv dings,  on  Missions. 

Immediately  after  the  appointment  of  the  several 
committees,  Dr.  Bascom  offered  the  following  reso- 
lution, which  was  adopted: 

"Resolved,  That  the  annual  sermon,  by  appoint- 
ment of  this  body,  on  the  subject  of  the  Christian 
Ministry,  be  preached  on  Sabbath  next,  at  three 
o'clock  p.m.;  that  the  sermon  on  Missions  be 
preached  on  Sabbath  night;  and  that  the  address 
on  Education  be  delivered  on  Tuesday  next,  at  ten 
o'clock  a.m.;  and  that  such  be  the  standing  arrange- 
ment hereafter." 

Benjamin  T.  I\avanaugh,  of  the  Rock  River  Con- 
ference, Burr  H.  McCown,  of  the  Ohio  Conference, 
ami  Thomas  Bottomley,  who  had  but  recently  come 
to  Kentucky,  and  had  for  several  months  filled  a 


Western    Cavaliers.  343 

vacancy  in  the  city  of  Louisville,  were  present,  and 
were  introduced  to  the  Conference  and  invited  to 
take  seats  within  the  bar. 

A  communication  on  the  subject  of  Common- 
school  Education,  from  Bishop  Smith,  of  the  Prot- 
estant Episcopal  Church,  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction  for  the  State  of  Kentucky,  was  received 
and  read.  This  communication  was  referred  to  a 
special  committee,  consisting  of  Dr.  Bascom,  Hub- 
bard H.  Kavanaugh,  and  Richard  Tydings.  On 
Friday  morning,  October  16,  they  made  the  follow- 
ing report,  which  was  adopted: 

"The  committee,  to  whom  was  referred  the  com- 
munication from  Bishop  Smith,  in  relation  to  the 
subject  of  Common -school  Instruction  within  the 
State  of  Kentucky,  beg  leave  to  report  the  follow- 
ing resolution  for  adoption  by  the  Conference: 

"Resolved,  by  the  Kentucky  Annual  Conference  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  That  we  highly  approve 
the  object  and  action  of  the  Legislature  of  Kentucky, 
in  its  recent  attempt  to  establish  an  effective  system 
of  common-school  instruction  within  the  limits  of 
this  commonwealth ;  and  we  respectfully  recommend 
that  all  our  ministers  and  people,  in  every  part  of 
the  State,  extend  their  countenance  and  encourage- 
ment to  the  furtherance  of  the  object  of  the  Legis- 
lature and  people  of  Kentucky,  in  the  successful 
establishment  of  the  excellent  common-school  sys- 
tem now  in  course  of  organization  throughout  the 
State." 

Benjamin  T.  Crouch,  the  Presiding  Elder  of  the 
Louisville  District,  presented  a  resolution  from  the 


344  Western    Cavaliers. 

Quarterly  Conference  of  the  Fourth- street  Station, 
Louisville,  in  reference  to  Moses  M.  Henkle,  a  min- 
ister in  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church,  recom- 
mending him  to  be  received  into  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  according  to  the  provisions  of 
the  Discipline: 

"  Whereas,  regular  and  satisfactory  evidence  has 
been  presented  to  this  Conference  that  Moses  M. 
Henkle  has  been  ordained  a  deacon  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  and  an  elder  in  the  Methodist 
Protestant  Church,  and  that  he  is  a  regularly  ac- 
credited elder  of  said  Methodist  Protestant  Church, 
in  good  standing;  and  whereas,  he  has  signified  his 
wish  to  attach  himself  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  and  his  willingness  to  conform  and  submit 
to  the  regulations  thereof;  therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  this  Conference  approve  his  re- 
ception by  the  proper  authorities  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  on  his  compliance  with  the  requi- 
sitions of  the  Discipline,  in  such  cases  made  and 
provided;  and  that  we  are  prepared,  on  such  com- 
pliance, to  receive  him  with  Christian  confidence 
and  affection  as  a  minister  of  our  Church. 
"William  Farquar, 
"William  N".   Meriwether. 

"  The  above  preamble  and  resolution  were  unan- 
imously adopted  by  the  Quarterly  Conference  for 
Fourth-street  Station,  Louisville,  Kentucky,  Octo- 
ber 5,  1840.  B.  T.  Crouch,  Presiding  Elder. 

"William  Kendall,  Recording  Steward" 

Mr.  Henkle  had  entered  the  itinerant  ministry 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  1819,  but 


Western   Cavaliers.  345 

located  after  traveling  three  years.  At  a  later  pe- 
riod he  entered  the  Methodist  Protestant  Church, 
in  which  his  commanding  talents  and  fervent  zeal 
soon  made  him  a  leader.  JSTo  preacher  in  that 
Communion  enjoyed  the  confidence  of  this  branch 
of  Methodism  to  a  greater  extent  than  did  Mr. 
Henkle.  Convinced,  however,  that  he  had  made  a 
mistake  in  the  step  he  had  taken,  he  resolved  to 
retrace  it  and  return  to  the  fold  whence  he  had 
gone  out. 

It  was  "moved  that  Brother  Henkle  have  the 
right  to  exercise  the  office  of  an  elder  in  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church" — which  motion  prevailed. 
It  only  remained  for  Mr.  Henkle  to  take  the  vows 
of  office,  as  prescribed  in  the  Book  of  Discipline, 
which  he  immediately  proceeded  to  do. 

The  following  resolutions  were  offered  by  Messrs. 
Stamper  and  Tydings,  and  adopted: 

"1.  Resolved,  That,  with  due  respective  accept 
the  copyright  of  Brother  M.  Jamieson's  book  on 
Baptism,  as  a  present  offered  to  this  Conference. 

"2.  Resolved,  That  this  Conference  present  said 
copyright  to  the  Western  Book  Concern,  and  re- 
quest the  Concern  to  publish  the  same." 

From  the  time  that  Campbellism  made  its  first 
appearance,  Kentucky  had  been  one  of  the  most 
prominent  fields  in  which  it  had  operated.  The 
Baptist  Church — one  of  the  largest  and  most  influ- 
ential denominations  —  was  most  affected  by  its 
teachings.  In  many  instances  Churches  were  di- 
vided, the  larger  number  following  the  fortunes  of 
Alexander  Campbell,  the  founder  and  leader  of  the 
15* 


346  Western   Cavaliers. 

new  order.  Deriding  experimental  religion,  and 
offering  salvation  on  terras  more  congenial  to  human 
nature  than  those  laid  down  in  the  Bible,  it  met 
with  sympathy,  and  favor  in  many  communities. 
With  truth  enough  in  the  system  to  conceal  its  er- 
ror.-, many  persons  had  been  persuaded  to  embrace 
it.  ;u id.  accepting  it  as  true,  became  its  zealous  de- 
fenders. Christians  of  all  denominations  regarded  it 
with  disfavor,  because  of  its  pernicious  effects  on 
vital  Christianity.  In  the  Kentucky  Conference 
were  several  preachers  who  attacked  this  system 
with  signal  ability,  among  whom  Edward  Stevenson 
was  prominent.  Iso  one,  however,  was  so  fearless 
in  striking  at  its  strongholds  as  Milton  Jamieson. 
He  was  a  preacher  of  extraordinary  ability,  and  in 
the  struggle  with  Campbellism  he  proved  himself 
a  giant.  He  challenged  the  ablest  teachers  of  the 
Reformation  (so-called)  to  a  discussion  of  the  doc- 
trines they  taught,  and  laid  bare  to  public  view  the 
errors  and  dangerous  tendencies  of  the  system. 
Fully  acquainted  with  every  dogma  they  held,  his 
sermons  exerted  an  influence,  in  every  community 
in  which  he  preached,  toward  arresting  the  tide  of 
error  and  in  planting  more  firmly  the  cardinal 
truths  of  Christianity.  In  addition  to  the  sermons 
he  preached  against  Campbellism,  Mr.  Jamieson 
became  the  author  of  a  small  book  on  Baptism, 
generally  known  as  the  "Blue  Pill"*  which  was 
distributed  largely  throughout  the  State.  It  was 
an  able  exposure  of  the  errors  it  attacked,  as  well 
as  ii  potent  defender  of  the  truth.     It  was  the  copy- 

*It  was  bound  in  blue  muslin. 


Western    Cavaliers.  347 

right  of  this  book  which  he  presented  to  the  Con- 
ference. 

The  sermons  on  the  Ministry  and  on  Missions 
were  preached  on  Sunday — the  former,  by  John 
James,  at  three  o'clock,  and  the  latter,  by  Richard 
Tydings,  at  seven  o'clock.  Mr.  James  entertained 
;i  large  audience  and  the  members  of  the  Conference 
with  an  able  sermon  on  the  character  and  responsi- 
bility of  the  Christian  ministry.  The  sermon  by 
Mr.  T}^dings,  on  the  spread  of  the  gospel  and  the 
final  triumphs  of  the  cross,  was  equally  instructive 
to  the  large  assembly  which  heard  him. 

The  address  on  Education,  delivered  by  Dr.  Bas- 
com  on  Tuesday  at  ten  o'clock,  was  alike  worthy 
of  the  distinguished  preacher  and  the  occasion. 

During  a  session  of  the  Conference,  held  in  the 
afternoon  of  the  same  day,  Hubbard  H.  Kavanaugh 
offered  the  following  resolution,  which  was  adopted 
by  a  rising  vote: 

"Resolved,  That  Brother  II.  B.  Bascom  be,  and  he 
is  hereby,  most  respectfully  requested  to  furnish  this 
Conference  with  a  copy  of  the  very  learned,  able, 
and  eloquent  address  on  Education  which  he  deliv- 
ered before  this  Conference  this  morning." 

At  the  previous  session  of  the  Conference  a  reso- 
lnion  was  adopted,  requesting  the  members  of  the 
Church  throughout  the  commonwealth  of  Ken- 
tucky to  "  memorialize  the  Legislature,  asking  for  a 
change  in  the  License  Lato,  as  it  regards  the  sale  of 
ardent  spirits."  From  every  part  of  the  State  me- 
morials looking  to  the  suppression  of  the  evil  of 
intemperance  had  been  placed  before  the  Legisla- 


348  Western   Cavaliers. 

tu re,  and  received  the  most  careful  consideration  of 
that  body. 

At  this  session  of  the  Conference  Mr.  Linn  offered 
the  following  resolution,  which  was  adopted: 

"Resolved,  That  the  very  kind  and  respectful  at- 
tention which  was  paid  by  the  Legislature  of  this 
commonwealth  to  the  memorials  and  petitions  to 
procure  the  repeal  of  the  License  Law,  as  it  regards 
the  sale  of  ardent  spirits,  furnishes  the  friends  of 
temperance  grounds  of  encouragement,  and  calls 
most  solemnly  for  a  renewal  of  effort;  and  that  we 
do  more  earnestly  than  ever  recommend  to  the 
people  within  our  respective  charges  the  propriety 
and  necessity  of  again  memorializing  the  Legisla- 
ture on  this  subject,  praying  a  revision  of  the  present 
License  Law,  and  such  a  change  in  the  whole  system 
as  no  longer  to  permit  tippling  under  sanction  and 
countenance  of  law." 

The  amount  of  money  reported  at  this  Conference 
for  missionary  purposes  was  only  two  thousand  two 
hundred  and,  eighty-jive  dollars  and  thirty-one  cents, 
against  four  thousand  jive  hundred,  and,  eighty-one  dol- 
lars and  eighty-jive  cents  the  former  year.  The  col- 
lection at  the  anniversary  meeting,  in  Bardstown, 
was  jive  hundred  dollars;  besides,  the  largest  amount 
— two  hundred  and  ninety-four  dollars  and  twenty-six 
cents — was  sent  from  the  Fourth  -  street  Station, 
Louisville.  Several  large  and  wealthy  Churches 
made  no  report. 

The  Preachers'  Aid  Society  was  organized  at  this 
session  of  the  Conference.  The  object  of  this  Society 
\\  as  to  render  aid  to  superannuated  preachers,  and  to 


Western    Cavaliers.  349 

the  widows  and  orphans  of  preachers  who  had  died 
in  the  work.  The  Society  was  placed  under  the  su- 
pervision of  a  Board  of  Managers,  consisting  of 
Henry  B.  Bascom,  Jonathan  Stamper,  Hubbard  H. 
Kavanangh,  William  Gunn,  Isaac  Collard,  Richard 
Tydings,  Benjamin  T.  Crouch,  John  Tevis,  George 
W.  Taylor,  and  Richard  Corwine.  The  following 
persons  were  elected  Lay,  or  Local,  Managers:  Lewis 
Parker,  of  Wayne  county;  John  Armstrong,  of 
Maysville;  David  Heran,  of  Louisville;  F.  A.  Sav- 
age, of  Minerva;  Charles  Campbell,  of  Hopkins 
county.  The  officers  were :  John  Armstrong,  Presi- 
dent; Benjamin  T.  Crouch,  First  Vice-president; 
Jonathan  Stamper,  Second  Vice-president;  Henry 
B.  Bascom,  Treasurer;  F.  A.  Savage,  Secretary. 

The  preaching  during  the  session  of  the  Confer- 
ence was  good.  William  H.  Anderson  preached  a 
sermon  on  Thursday  afternoon,  in  the  Methodist 
Church,  from  the  text,  "But  grow  in  grace,  and  in 
the  knowledge  of  our  Lord  and  Saviour  Jesus 
Christ,"  *  which  was  listened  to  with  rapt  attention 
by  a  large  audience;  and  on  Friday  evening,  in  the 
same  house,  many  hearts  were  touched  while  Edwin 
Roberts  preached  from  the  passage,  "  Even  the  mys- 
tery which  hath  been  hid  from  ages  and  from  gen- 
erations, but  now  is  made  manifest  to  his  saints :  to 
whom  God  would  make  known  what  is  the  riches 
of  the  glory  of  this  mystery  among  the  Gentiles; 
which  is  Christ  in  you,  the  hope  of  glory."  f 

Nineteen  preachers  were  admitted  on  trial  at  this 
session:  Drnmmond  Welburn,  Francis  M.  English, 
*2  Pet.  iii.  18.     f  Col.  i.  26,  27. 


350  Western    Cavaliers. 

Fielding  Bell,  Henry  F.  Garey,  John  Atkinson, 
James  E.  Nix.  James  S.  Woolls,  "Leroy  C.  Danley, 
Charles  Hendrickson,  George  W.  Crnmbangh,  Zach- 
ariah  M.  Taylor,  William  Reed,  William  D.  Trainer, 
William  D.  Minga,  James  I.  Ferree,  John  Miller, 
William  C.  Atmore,  William  R.  Price,  and  Thomas 
Bottomlcy. 

Of  those  who  entered  the  service  the  year  before, 
the  name  of  James  J.  Harrison  is  the  only  one  that 
disappears  from  the  roll. 

George  S.  Gate  wood,  William  B.  Maxey,  Daniel 
S.  Barksdale,  Robert  F.  Turner,  Matthew  X.  Lasley, 
Solomon  Pope,  Henry  E.  Pilcher,  John  C.  Hardy, 
and  John  Kevins,  located. 

Messrs.  Gatewood,  Maxey,  Lasley,  Pilcher,  Hardy, 
and  Xevins,  reentered  the  itinerant  ranks  at  a  later 
period — some  of  them  in  other  Conferences.  In  the 
fields  they  had  occupied  their  labors  were  greatly 
blessed,  and  many  were  added  to  the  Church  under 
their  ministry.  In  a  local  sphere  Messrs.  Barksdale, 
Turner,  and  Pope,  continned  to  labor  efficiently  and 
usefully. 

George  M«-Xelly  and  Elijah  M.  Bosley  died  during 
the  year — the  former  a  veteran  in  the  ranks,  and  the 
Latter  a  young  man  who  had  not  reached  the  me- 
ridian of  life. 

George  Mc^STelly  was  born  in  Sumner  (then  Da- 
vidson) county,  Tennessee,  February  1,  1793.  We 
regret  that  we  have  no  record  of  the  time  he  pro- 
1  religion  and  became  a  member  of  the  Church. 
ly  as  1--U4  we  find  his  name  among  those  who 
admitted  on  trial  into  the  Tennessee  Confer- 


Western   Cavaliers.  351 

ence,  and  traveling  the  Hartford  and  Breckinridge 
Circuit,  as  the  colleague  of  William  F.  King,  having 
the  eccentric  Peter  Cartwright  as  his  Presiding 
Elder.  In  1815  his  appointment  was  the  Peel  River 
Circuit,  lying  partly  in  the  State  of  Tennessee.  His 
field  of  labor  the  following  year  was  the  Barren 
Circuit,  which  spread  over  a  vast  extent  of  territory. 
In  1817  he  was  sent  to  the  Goose  Creek  Circuit,  on 
which  he  remained  for  two  years.  At  the  Confer- 
ence of  1819  he  was  again  appointed  to  the  Red 
River  Circuit,  on  which  he  had  formerly  traveled. 

The  ministry  of  Mr.  McNelly  during  the  six  years 
which  closed  with  the  Conference  of  1820  had  been 
spent  on  extensive  fields.  His  circuits  included  from 
twenty-live  to  thirty-five  appointments,  which  had 
to  be  filled  every  four  weeks.  Much  of  the  country 
over  which  he  passed  was  rough,  and  the  travel  diffi- 
cult. Exposed  to  every  variety  of  weather,  and  with 
a  delicate  constitution  at  best,  we  are  not  surprised 
tli at  in  1820  he  proposed  to  retire  from  the  itinerant 
ranks,  that  he  might  repair  his  health  and  be  bet- 
ter qualified  to  perform  the  duties  of  a  traveling 
preacher.  He  remained  in  the  local  ranks,  however, 
but  a  single  year;  for  in  1821  we  find  him  on  the 
Fountain  Head  Circuit,  in  the  Kentucky  Conference, 
which  was  formed  in  1820,  prosecuting  his  ministry 
with  fervor  and  zeal.  The  following  year  he  travels 
the  Red  River  Circuit,  where  he  had  previously  la- 
bored, and  in  1823  the  Christian  Circuit,  where  he 
remains  lor  two  years.  At  the  Conference  of  1825 
his  appointment  was  the  Hartford  Circuit,  where  he 
spent  two  years,  and  where  he  witnessed  the  fruits 


352  Western   Cavaliers. 

of  his  ministry.  At  the  Conference  of  1827  he  was 
appointed  to  the  Green  River  District,  where  he  re- 
mained for  four  years.  His  labors  on  the  Green 
River  District  so  far  impaired  his  health  that  in 
1831  he  requested  a  superannuated  relation,  which 
he  continued  to  sustain  until  1836.  Believing  his 
health  was  sufficiently  restored  to  resume  the  active 
duties  of  the  ministry,  he  once  more  reported  him- 
self as  able  to  perform  the  work  of  a  pastor,  and 
was  stationed  at  Danville  and  Harrodsburg.  The 
pastoral  work,  however,  was  more  than  equal  to  his 
wasting  strength,  aud  the  following  year  he  was  ap- 
pointed Agent  for  Augusta  College.  In  1838  he 
was  again  placed  on  the  superannuated  list,  where 
he  remained  until  God  called  him  home.  He  died 
on  Tuesday,  April  14,  1810. 

Mr.  McXelly  was  an  acceptable  preacher,  a  con- 
sistent Christian,  and  faithful  in  the  discharge  of 
his  duties.     His  end  was  peaceful. 

Elijah  M.  Bosley  was  born  in  Washington  county, 
Kentucky,  November  24,  1811.  His  parents  were 
Gideon  and  Elizabeth  Bosley,  and  to  his  mother, 
who  was  distinguished  for  her  fervent  piety  and  su- 
perior intellect,  he  was  indebted,  under  God,  for  the 
position  he  occupied  as  a  Christian  and  a  preacher 
of  the  gospel.  When  only  a  child  he  gave  his  heart 
to  God,  and  at  a  camp-meeting  held  at  Pleasant  Run 
Camp-ground,  in  Washington  county,  he  realized  a 
sense  of  the  pardoning  love  of  Christ.  The  change 
was  so  gradual  that  at  first  he  only  tasted  the  heal- 
ing stream;  but  soon  his  heart  was  filled  with  un- 
bounded joy  and  love.     From  the  time  of  his  con- 


Western    Cavaliers.  353 

version  until  God  called  him  home,  his  confidence 
never  wavered,  and  never  for  a  moment  did  he  lose 
sight  of  his  inheritance  in  the  skies.  No  son,  per- 
haps, ever  gladdened  the  hearts  of  parents  more 
than  did  Elijah  Madison  Bosley.  Obedient  in  all 
things,  he  devoted  himself  to  their  comfort,  and 
studied,  with  true  filial  tenderness,  their  happiness 
in  every  act  of  his  life. 

Called  of  God  to  preach  the  gospel,  he  would 
have  shrunk  from  so  responsible  a  work;  but  the 
conviction  that  the  path  of  duty  lay  in  this  direc- 
tion continually  followed  him,  whether  engaged  in 
prayer  or  in  the  ordinary  pursuits  of  life. 

In  the  summer  of  1833  a  camp-meeting  was  held 
at  the  Beech  Fork  Camp-ground,  in  Nelson  county, 
at  which  Mr.  Bosley  was  present.  George  W.  Tay- 
lor was  the  Presiding  Elder.  "  Brother  Bosley,  you 
must  preach  to-night,"  said  the  Presiding  Elder. 
"I  have  no  license,"  was  the  prompt  reply  of  the 
young  man.  "I  will  give  you  a  license,"  said  Mr. 
Taylor,  "  and  the  laws  of  George  W.  Taylor  change 
not  in  reference  to  this  appointment."  Never  hav- 
ing attempted  to  preach,  and  remarkable  for  his 
diffidence,  he  would  have  declined  the  appointment 
if  made  by  any  authority  less  than  that  of  George 
W.  Taylor.  What  young  preacher  does  not  under- 
stand the  strugglings  of  that  hour?  Retiring  to  the 
woods,  alone  with  God,  he  knelt  in  prayer,  and 
asked  divine  aid  and  comfort  for  the  ordeal  through 
which  he  was  about  to  pass.  His  sermon  was  brief 
— too  brief;  it  was  a  failure.  Hardly  had  he  left 
the    stand,   mortified    and   discouraged,  when   Mr. 


354  Western    Cavaliers. 

Taylor  said  to  him,  "Well)  Elijah,  yon  must  try 
again,  to-morrow."  His  second  effort  was  an  im- 
provement on  the  first.  A  few  weeks  later  lie  was 
licensed  to  preach  and  recommended  to  the  Annual 
Conference. 

In  1833  he  was  admitted  on  trial  into  the  Ken- 
tucky Conference,  and  appointed  to  the  Somerset 
Circuit.  In  1834  he  was  sent  to  the  Glasgow  Cir- 
cuit, in  1835  to  the  Burksville  Circuit,  and  in  1836 
to  the  Wayne  Circuit.  At  the  Conference  of  1837 
his  appointment  was  the  Columbia  Circuit,  and  in 
1838  the  Winchester  Circuit.  The  last  charge  to 
which  lie  was  appointed  was  the  Hardinsburg  Cir- 
cuit, in  1839. 

During  the  seven  years  that  he  proclaimed  the 
gospel  hundreds  were  brought  to  Christ  through  his 
ministry.  Wherever  he  traveled  the  people  loved 
him.  While  he  studied  to  show  himself  approved 
"a  workman  that  needeth  not  to  be  ashamed,"  he 
carried  his  preparations  for  the  pulpit  from  his 
study  to  his  closet,  and  there,  for  hours  together, 
with  prayers  and  tears,  would  ask  the  benediction 
of  Heaven  on  his  efforts  to  win  souls  to  Christ. 
When  he  would  sing  by  himself  the  songs  of  Zion, 
as  he  often  did,  every  heart  would  be  touched,  and 
every  eye  be  filled  with  tears.  On  these  occasions 
there  was  a  melody  in  his  voice  such  as  we  have  sel- 
dom heard.  A  distinguished  member  of  the  Louis- 
ville Conference,  referring  to  Mr.  Bosley  in  a  letter 
to  his  brother,  the  Rev.  Thomas  G.  Bosley,  says: 
"  When  1  was  in  deepest  agony,  sinking  in  the  mire, 
where  there  was  no  standing,  your  brother  was  by 


Western    Cavaliers.  355 

me,  offering  mc  the  promises  of  the  gospel;  and 
when  I  was  happily  converted,  he  was  singing, 

'My  brethren,  I  have  found 
A  land  that  doth  abound.' 

I  shall  never  forget,''"  he  adds,  "the  sweetness  of 
that  song,  as  sung  by  him;  for  he  had  a  sweet  voice, 
and  he  seemed  to  me  more  like  an  angel  than  a 
human  being."  * 

He  closed  his  year's  work  on  the  Hardinsburg 
Circuit,  and  was  on  a  visit  to  the  family  of  his  wife, 
in  Barren  county,  when  he  was  attacked  with  pneu- 
monia. It  soon  became  evident  that  he  could  not 
survive.  Looking  back  upon  a  well-spent  life,  and 
then  contemplating  the  glories  that  awaited  him, 
among  his  last  words  we  find  a  message  to  his  fel- 
low-laborers: "Tell  my  brethren  that  the  gospel  I 
have  preached  to  others  sustains  me  while  exchang- 
ing worlds,  and  that  if  I  had  a  score  of  lives  to 
spend  all  should  be  spent  in  preaching  Christ  cruci- 
fied." 

~No  purer  man  than  Elijah  M.  Bosley  was  ever 
admitted  into  the  Kentucky  Conference,  and  none 
ever  labored  with  greater  earnestness  and  devotion 
than  he  did.  His  daily  walk  and  conversation  were 
such  as  became  a  minister  of  the  gospel  of  Jesus 
Christ.  'No  improper  word  ever  fell  from  his  lips, 
and  no  aberration  from  the  path  of  virtue  marked 
his  life.  He  was  in  all  things  an  example.  During 
the  seven  years  of  his  itinerancy  he  was  the  hon- 
ored instrument  in  the  hands  of  God  in  doing  much 

*  Letter  from  the  Rev.  X.  H.  Lee,  D.D. 


356  Western   Cavaliers. 

good.  In  every  charge  lie  filled  he  not  only  left  be- 
hind him  the  savor  of  a  good  name,  but  "living 
epistles,  to  be  read  and  known  of  all  men." 

Our  first  acquaintance  with  Mr.  Bosley  was  in 
April,  1840,  only  a  short  time  previous  to  bis  death. 
It  is  true,  we  had  seen  him  at  one  or  two  sessions 
of  the  Annual  Conference,  and  were  impressed  with 
his  small  stature  and  his  meekness  and  modesty; 
but  nothing  more  than  a  formal  introduction  had 
passed  between  us.  We  had  preceded  him  on  the 
Ilardinsburg  Circuit,  and  were  traveling  on  the  Yel- 
low Banks,  an  adjoining  circuit,  when  he  attended 
our  quarterly-meeting  in  Owensboro,  at  the  time  we 
have  mentioned.  On  Saturday  evening  he  preached 
in  the  court-house  to  a  large  congregation,  from  the 
text,  "  Who  then  can  be  saved? "  *  With  a  soft  and 
slightly  suppressed  voice  he  entered  upon  the  in- 
vestigation of  his  subject,  his  audience  fearing  that 
he  might  not  be  equal  to  the  task  before  him.  All 
apprehensions,  however,  were  soon  allayed.  He 
showed  himself  to  be  "a  workman  that  needed  not 
to  be  ashamed."  The  sermon  was  not  brilliant,  but 
was  pointed,  clear,  and  forcible.  There  was  in  it 
no  speculative  theology,  but  it  was  replete  with  gos- 
pel truth,  and  carried  conviction  to  many  hearts. 
We  never  saw  him  afterward;  but  when  we  heard 
of  his  death  we  said,  "  We  shall  meet  him  again." 
He  died  in  great  peace,  October  9,  1840. 

Joseph  Marsee,  who  had  entered  the  Kentucky 
Conference  in  1827,  was  transferred  this  year  to  the 
Indiana  Conference.  He  had  traveled  in  Kentucky 
*Matt.  xix.  25. 


Western   Cavaliers.  357 

for  thirteen  years,  and  discharged  the  duties  of  his 
high  and  holy  office  with  fidelity.  His  fields  of 
labor  during  this  period  were  the  Little  Sandy,  the 
Lebanon,  the  Glasgow,  the  Elizabeth,  the  Newcastle 
Circuits,  the  Newport  and  Covington,  and  the  Lex- 
ington Stations,  the  Georgetown  and  Germantown 
Circuits,  and  the  Mount  Sterling  (two  years)  and 
Brook-street,  Louisville,  Stations.  In  these  several 
charges  he  was  beloved  and  useful,  and  in  them  his 
memory  is  tenderly  cherished. 

Thomas  W.  Chandler  was  transferred  to  the  Illi- 
nois Conference.  He  entered  the  Conference  at  the 
same  time  with  Mr.  Marsee,  and  had  traveled  the 
Ohio,  the  Whitley,  the  Greenville,  and  the  Wayne 
Circuits.  At  the  Conference  of  1831  he  was  sta- 
tioned in  Bowling  Green,  and  in  1832  in  Hopkins- 
ville.  We  next  find  him  on  the  Yellow  Banks 
Circuit,  and  then  stationed  in  Frankfort.  In  1836 
he  was  sent  to  the  Barboursville  District,  where  he 
remained  two  years.  In  1837  his  field  of  labor  was 
the  Augusta  District,  and  the  following  year  the 
Covington.  The  last  year  he  spent  in  Kentucky 
was  on  the  Millersburg  Circuit.  Whether  laboring 
amid  mountain  fastnesses  or  in  the  valleys  of  Ken- 
tucky, whether  performing  the  duties  of  an  itinerant 
on  circuit,  station,  or  District,  he  was  always  true 
and  faithful. 

Andrew  Peace,  who  was  transferred  this  year  to 
the  Missouri  Conference,  became  an  itinerant  in 
1828.  His  first  appointment  was  to  the  Greenville 
Circuit,  as  the  colleague  of  Lewis  Parker.  In  1829 
he  was  sent  to  the  Yellow  Banks  Circuit,  and  in 


3-58  Western    Cavaliers. 

1830  his  appointment  was  the  Big  Sandy  Circuit. 
At  the  Conference  of  1831  he  was  transferred  to  the 
Missouri  Conference,  where  he  traveled  until  1836, 
when  he  located.  At  the  Kentucky  Conference  of 
1837  he  was  readmitted  and  appointed  to  the  Bar- 
boursville  Mission,  and  in  1838  to  the  Somerset  Cir- 
cuit, where  he  remained  for  two  years.  It  is  with 
pleasure  that  we  bear  testimony  to  the  faithfulness 
with  which  Mr.  Peace  performed  the  duties  assigned 
him.  He  was  traveling  on  the  Barboursville  Mis- 
sion when  we  first  made  his  acquaintance.  Our 
fields  of  labor  adjoining,  we  were  often  thrown  to- 
gether. He  was  a  true  man,  a  good  preacher,  and 
zealous  and  useful  wdierever  he  labored. 

Williams  B.  Kavanaugh  and  Robert  Y.  McRey- 
nolds  were  transferred  to  the  Rock  River  Conference, 
hut  afterward  returned  to  Kentucky. 

A  young  preacher,  who  was  present  at  this  session 
of  the  Kentucky  Conference,  writes  us  the  following 
interesting  letter: 

"On  Tuesday  night  I  sat  for  the  first  time  in  a 
Conference-congregation,  and  heard  its  hymns  of 
Lofty  cheer,  and  the  hearty  Amens  to  its  inspiring 
prayers.  On  Wednesday  morning  I  was  recognized 
by  a  few  personal  acquaintances,  and  with  intense 
interest  witnessed  the  gathering  of  about  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  itinerant  heroes — includiug  elders, 
deacons,  men  on  trial,  and  applicants  for  admission. 
Bishop  Morris  (then  in  the  fullness  of  his  strength) 
called  the  Conference  to  order,  and,  after  religious 
worship,  the  roll  was  called  by  Thomas  N.  Ralston. 
Nearly  one  hundred  answered  to  the  roll-call,  com- 


W  e  s  t  e  n  n    Cavaliers.  359 

mencing  with  the  name  of  James  Ward,  a  veteran 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  then  leaning  on  his  staff 
in  age  and  feebleness  extreme,  and  ending  with  the 
class  to  which  Albert  II.  Redford  belonged;  yet  it 
was  seen  that  even  such  paths  of  glory  as  these  were 
t  raveling  lead  but  to  the  grave;  for  George  McNelly 
and  Elijah  M.  Bosley  bad  responded  to  the  roll-call 
above.  Of  these  two,  after  George  W.  Taylor  bad 
preached  their  funeral-sermon  to  a  congregation 
glowing  with  religious  ecstasy,  William  Holman 
said  that  'though  once,  like  their  brethren,  poor 
and  homeless  on  earth,  they  now  have  homes  near 
the  Public  Square  in  glory.5 

"  When  the  regular  business  commenced  I  ven- 
tured within  the  bar  of  the  Conference,  and  troubled 
a  friend  with  many  questions  in  reference  to  the 
more  prominent  members. 

"  •  Who  is  that  tall,  lean,  Quaker-looking  preacher, 
who  has  more  to  say  than  any  one  in  the  house,  and 
who  always  replies  to  questions  addressed  to  the 
whole  bod}7?'  I  asked. 

"'That  is  Benjamin  T.  Crouch,  of  the  Louisville 
.District,  one  of  the  most  laborious  men  in  the  State/ 
was  the  answer. 

'"Who  is  that  large  old  gentleman,  with  white 
hair  and  florid  complexion?  He  speaks  with  great 
earnestness,  although  his  sentences  are  not  as  clean- 
cut  and  clear  as  they  might  be.' 

" '  That  is  John  James,  of  the  Covington  District,' 

"'That  large,  coarse -featured  man,  with  such 
straight  hair,  I  know.  He  is  William  Gunn,  my 
own  Presiding  Elder.' 


360  Western    Cavaliers. 

"'  Yes,'  said  the  brother  at  my  side;  'he  is  about 
to  read  your  recommendation,  and  you  had  better 
leave  the  house  as  soon  as  possible.' 

••  Returning  after  a  short  period  to  the  side  of  my 
friend,  I  Listened  to  the  Presiding  Elder  of  the 
Louisville  District,  as  he  presented  the  recomenda- 
tions  of  nine  candidates  for  admission  on  trial  into 
the  Conference. 

"Francis  M.  English  is  received  without  difficulty. 
There  is  no  trouble  with  Fielding  Bell;  he  is  al- 
ready an  able  minister.  The  next  elicits  considera- 
ble discussion;  but  he  is  brilliant  and  admired,  and 
is  triumphantly  admitted.  He  is  not  a  preacher 
now,  nor  a  member  of  the  Church;  is  a  distin- 
guished lawyer  in  an  Eastern  city,  and  tills  a  large 
space  in  public  life — less  happy,  we  think,  than 
when  he  preached  Jesus  and  persuaded  sinners  to 
be  reconciled  to  God.  The  names  of  two  others, 
long  connected  with  the  itinerancy,  have  passed 
under  clouds,  and  are  now  local  preachers  in  the 
Northern  Church.  Two  others  sweetly  sleep  in 
.K'sus.  The  next  case  excited  much  discussion,  and 
considerable  opposition  was  expressed.  Some  one 
said  that  George  \V.  Taylor,  of  the  Harrodsburg 
District,  knew  something  about  this  case.  A  plain 
farmer-looking  man  rose,  with  dignity,  and,  in  a  de- 
liberate and  emphatic  manner,  said,  'He  will  never 
make  an  itinerant  Methodist  preacher.'  Said  my 
friend,  '  That  settles  it.'  He  was,  however,  received, 
and.  after  preaching  two  years*  left  the  ministry  of 
lb.'  Methodist  Church, and  became  a  Baptist  minis- 
ter.     Onlv  one  man    was  recommended  from  the 


Western   Cavaliers.  361 

Covington  District.  He  was  talented,  useful,  am- 
bitious; moved  to  the  .North-west;  became  a  candi- 
date for  Governor;  took  office  at  Washington ;  went 
to  ruin.  A  sallow-complexion ed,  stoop-shouldered, 
delicate  old  gentleman,  the  Presiding  Elder  of  the 
Augusta  District,  read  the  recommendation  of  Wil- 
liani  D.  Minga.  He  was  received,  and  was  the  first 
of  our  large  class  to  escape  to  his  heavenly  home. 

"Bishop  Morris  announced  that  the  Ohio  Con- 
ference was  flooded  with  preachers,  and  that  he  had 
advised  several  brethren  to  come  to  Kentucky,  not 
by  transfer,  but  with  recommendations.  William 
C.  Atmore,  John  Miller,  and  William  R.  Price,  were 
thus  received.  William  D.  Trainer,  a  Virginian, 
and  Thomas  Bottomley,  from  the  territory  of  the 
Baltimore  Conference,  were  also  admitted. 

"Of  the  nineteen  who  then  entered  the  Confer- 
ence only  three  are  now  on  the  effective  list  in  our 
Church.  One  is  effective  in  the  M.  E.  Church, 
North.  Several  are  superannuated.  Some  have  so 
lived  as  to  give  sad  emphasis  to  the  words,  'Blessed 
are  the  dead  which  die  in  the  Lord,'  which  we  pro- 
nounced at  the  graves  of  Minga,  Miller,  Trainer, 
Bell,  and  Danley. 

"I  see  another  Presiding  Elder — pale,  tall,  deli- 
cate, and  slow  of  speech.  It  is  Richard  Corwine, 
of  the  Hopkinsville  District.  Two  years  later  he 
went  in  triumph  from  the  Louisville  District  to  his 
heavenly  home. 

"'Who  is  that,  walking  up  the  aisle?     He  is  evi- 
dently a  man  of  mark,'  I  said,  as  his  keen  eye  and 
high  forehead  attracted  my  attention. 
16 


362  Western   Cavaliers. 

"'That  is  Jonathan  Stamper,  of  the  Shelby ville 
District,  one  of  the  truest  men  and  one  of  the  most 
powerful  preachers  in  America.' 

"Another  sat  before  me,  whose  gray  locks  and  be- 
nignant face  attracted  my  attention.  It  was  Richard 
D.  Xeale,  the  Presiding  Elder  on  the  Barboursville 
District,  lying  in  the  mountains  of  Kentucky.  His 
energy  and  zeal  know  no  bounds  save  his  wasting 
strength.  Several  preachers,  now  prominent  in  the 
Conference,  were  brought  into  the  Church  and  con- 
verted to  God  through  his  instrumentality.  He  is 
a  grand  old  man.  Everybody  loves  him.  He  looks 
every  inch  a  soldier.  He  is  a  brave  cavalier,  and 
was  born  to  command. 

"  Here,  close  by  us,  is  James  King,  of  the  Bowling 
Green  District.  How  modest  he  seems!  See  his 
keen  black  eyes,  his  fair,  florid  complexion,  his  well- 
knit  frame.  He  is  said  to  be  an  able  preacher,  a 
good  disciplinarian,  a  dignified  gentleman,  and  bids 
fair  to  do  the  Church  much  service  before  he  goes 
up  to  reap  his  great  reward.  There  is  Dr.  Bascom. 
I  have  heard  him  preach  as  no  other  man  ever 
preached.     He  is  tall,  handsome,  erect. 

'"Where  is  Dr.  Tomlinson?'  I  inquired.  He  was 
absent;  sickness  in  his  family  detained  him  at  home. 

'"He  is  our  most  accomplished  scholar  and  most 
classical  orator,'  said  my  friend.  'But,  yonder  is 
Professor  McCown.  He  is  here  among  the  friends 
of  his  youth.  Did  you  ever  see  a  finer  model  of  a 
man?  And  there  is  Hubbard  II.  Kavanaugh,  the 
Agent  of  Augusta  College,  who  often  outpreaches 
any  of  them.' 


Western    Cavaliers.  363. 

"'Who  is  that  venerable,  graceful  old  man,  who 
always  wears  a  smile?' 

"'That  is  Richard  Tydings — every  inch  a  gentle- 
man. On  both  sides  of  the  mountains  he  has  won 
many  souls  to  Christ.' 

"'That  one — a  little  man,  with  iron-gray  hair? 
There  seems  to  be  nervous  energy  enough  in  him 
for  half  a  score  of  men.' 

"'Edward  Stevenson  is  his  name — now  of  Bus- 
sellville.  He  is  a  very  efficient  man,  and  one  of  a 
large  and  influential  family,  devoted  to  Methodism 
since  it  first  entered  the  State.  Near  him  sits 
another,  almost  as  gray.  His  name  is  William  B. 
Landrum,  and  the  Church  has  not  in  it  a  truer  man. 
See  that  old  man,  with  long  face,  large  chin,  thin, 
long  hair,  drawn  up  over  an  almost  bald  head — that 
is  Josiah  Whitaker.  He  is  about  to  speak  in  reply 
to  Stamper's  philippic  against  local  itinerants.  Hear 
him:  "I  have  never  asked  any  favor  of  your  Bish- 
ops; I  have  left  old  Sukey  Honey  *  to  scratch  for 
the  children,  and  have  traveled  a  hundred  or  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  from  home,  to  serve  your 
roughest  circuits,  for  almost  nothing.  These  thirty 
years  I  have  been  serving  the  Church,  and  in  all 
that  time  I  have  never  complained.  I  have  never 
located,  nor  stationated,  nor  supernumerated,  nor 
superannuated,  nor  Presiding  Elderated,  and  I  have 
no  favors  to  ask  of  any  of  you ! "  There  sits  by  him 
his  son-in-law,  James  C.  Crow,  a  man  of  great 
worth  and  a  perfect  pattern  of  fidelity.  But  listen 
to  what  the  old  men  are  saying  of  one  of  the  young 
*The  maiden  name  of  his  wife. 


364  Western   Cavaliers. 

preachers.  He  has  married  before  he  is  an  elder. 
His  brother  defends  him.  He  had  traveled  for  two 
years  under  a  Presiding  Elder,  and  has  been  a  pro- 
bationer in  the  Conference  for  one  year.  George 
\\\  Brush  is  the  next  speaker.  He  says  a  deacon 
must  be  the  husband  of  one  wife;  that,  in  this  old 
usage  against  matrimony,  we  are  imposing  a  yoke 
on  our  brethren  which  neither  we  nor  our  fathers 
were  able  to  bear.  The  young  man  is  acquitted. 
Others  have  a  fair  warning  of  what  they  may  expect 
if  in  this  respect  they  walk  not  according  to  the 
traditions  of  the  elders.' 

" '  Please,  tell  me  why  I  hear  so  little  in  this  place 
from  men  in  the  prime,  or  morning,  of  life — men 
distinguished  for  their  success  in  doing  good  among 
the  people.  There  are  Brush,  Roberts,  Deering, 
Babbitt,  Linn,  Crain,  Lewis,  Woolliscroft,  Peter 
Taylor,  Bedford,  Foster,  Merritt,  Abbett,  Savage, 
Hardy,  Harrison,  Grubbs,  Thompson,  Perry,  the 
Kellys,  the  Holdings,  and  others.  I  am  disap- 
pointed in  not  hearing  from  them  on  the  Confer- 
ence-floor.'   - 

"'You  will  hear  many  of  them  in  the  pulpit,  and 
hear  about  them  on  the  floor  of  the  Conference.  If 
all  were  to  speak,  too  much  time  would  be  con- 
sumed; hence,  those  who  are  officially  interested  in 
the  case  in  hand  are  the  only  persons  who  are  gen- 
erally expected  to  consume  time  upon  it.  Besides 
those  you  have  named,  there  are  others  on  our  roll 
to  whom  the  people  gladly  listen :  and  among  those 
to  be  admitted  into  full  connection,  this  year  and 
next,  there   are   several    who   have    already   distin- 


Western   Cavaliers.  365 

guisliecl  themselves  among  the  people,  and  will  soon 
occupy  places  of  prominence  among  their  older 
brethren.  There  are  Anderson,  and  Lee,  and  South. 
In  the  class  of  the  present  year,  besides  a  number 
of  young  men  who  promise  future  usefulness,  there 
are  Bell,  Atkinson,  Miller,  Atmore,  and  Bottomley, 
who  are  already  able  ministers.' " 

It  is  always  pleasant  to  review  the  labors  of  faith- 
ful men  in  the  ministry,  and  to  record  the  triumphs 
of  the  cross.  In  no  State  in  the  Union  have  the 
achievements  of  Methodism  been  more  signal  than 
iii  Kentucky.  If  the  membership  in  the  Church 
has  not  been  so  large  at  any  one  time  as  in  some 
other  States,  it  is  not  because  fewer  persons  have 
worshiped  at  its  altars,  or  been  brought  to  Christ 
through  its  ministry.  Successful  at  home,  it  has 
sent  its  blessings  abroad,  and  planted  the  standard 
of  Christianity  in  other  fields. 

In  looking  over  the  appointments  for  this  year, 
we  find  no  change  in  the  Presiding  Elderships. 

In  the  Augusta  District,  Walter  Shearer  was  re- 
turned to  the  Little  Sandy  Circuit. 

In  the  Lexington  District,  George  W.  Brush  was 
again  sent  to  Lexington,  Edwin  Roberts  to  Ver- 
sailles, Carlisle  Babbitt  to  Winchester,  John  W. 
Biggin  to  Mount  Sterling,  and  Hartwell  J.  Perry  to 
Georgetown. 

In  the  Louisville  District,  William  McD.  Abbett 
again  travels  on  the  Newcastle  Circuit, 

In  the  Shelbyville  District,  Richard  Tydings,  John 
F.  South,  A.  J.  McLaughlin,  William  M.  Grubbs, 
and  Richard  I.  Dungan,  occupy  the  same  fields  in 


366  Western   Cavaliers. 

which  they  had  labored  faithfully  and  acceptably  the 
previous  year. 

In  the  Harrodsburg  District,  Richard  Deering  was 
returned  to  Harrodsburg  and  Danville. 

In  the  Hopkinsville  District,  we  again  find  Robert 
G.  Gardner  on  the  Princeton  Circuit,  where  his  min- 
istry had  been  greatly  blessed. 

In  the  Barboursville  District,  Nathan ael  II.  Lee 
and  William  James  were  reappointed  to  the  same 
fields  on  which  they  had  labored  the  year  before — 
the  former  to  the  Mount  Pleasant  Mission,  and  the 
latter  to  the  Kentucky  Mission. 

The  year  upon  which  we  are  now  entering  was  re- 
plete with  benedictions  to  the  whole  Church.  The 
net  increase  of  the  membership  was  not  so  great  as 
that  of  the  previous  year,  yet  there  was  scarcely  a 
charge  in  the  Conference  that  was  not  visited  by  a 
gracious  revival  of  religion,  while  in  many  places  the 
interest  was  of  the  most  extraordinary  character. 
Commencing  with  the  Maysville  District,  the  labors 
of  Hubbard  H.  Kavanaugh  were  abundantly  blessed, 
while  in  the  Fleming  Circuit,  under  the  ministry  of 
William  M.  Crawford  and  Henry  F.  G-arey  —  the 
former  an  able  preacher  of  several  years'  experience, 
and  the  latter  a  young  man  of  promise — many  were 
brought  to  Christ  and  added  to  the  Church.  The 
Gercnantown  Circuit — under  the  pastoral  care  of 
Thomas  R.  Malone — enjoyed  great  prosperity;  and 
in  all  the  other  charges  in  the  District  many  were 
awakened  and  converted  to  God. 

In  the  Covington  District  the  displays  of  divine 
power  were  greater  than  in  the  Augusta  District. 


Western    Cavaliers.  367 

John  James,  the  Presiding  Elder,  was  untiring  in 
his  labors.  Pie  traveled  his  extensive  District,  sow- 
ing everywhere  the  seeds  of  truth,  and  gathering 
sinners  into  the  fold  of  Christ.  In  the  Covington 
Station,  Calvin  W.  Lewis  was  eminently  successful. 
He  had  scarcely  entered  upon  his  work  when  indica- 
tions were  favorable  for  a  gracious  outpouring  of 
the  Holy  Spirit.  The  winter  witnessed  a  signal 
triumph  on  the  part  of  the  Church,  in  a  gracious 
revival  in  which  many  were  brought  to  Christ.  In 
the  Newport  Station,  the  ministry  of  Gilby  Kelly 
was  more  successful.  During  the  year  both  the 
white  and  the  colored  membership  were  more  than 
doubled,  and  the  Church  reached  an  eminence  it 
had  not  previously  known. 

Aaron  Moore  traveled  the  Leesburg  Circuit.  Al- 
though he  descended  from  an  aristocratic  family  in 
England,  he  was  without  education.  His  grand- 
father was  a  member  of  the  British  Parliament; 
3<et  when  the  grandson  attained  his  majority  he  was 
unacquainted  with  the  rudiments  of  an  English  ed- 
ucation. Aaron  Moore  was  born  in  Ohio,  April  2, 
1813.  At  twenty  years  of  age  he  embraced  religion 
and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  He 
was  admitted  on  trial  into  the  Kentucky  Conference 
in  1839,  and  was  appointed  to  the  Millersburg  Cir- 
cuit, as  the  colleague  of  Thomas  W.  Chandler.  In 
1840  he  was  appointed  to  the  Leesburg  Circuit  alone, 
where  we  now  find  him.  It  was  with  considerable 
hesitation  on  the  part  of  the  Conference  that  he  was 
received  as  a  fellow-laborer.  Without  culture  and 
without  education,  he  seemed  to  promise  but  little 


368  Western   Cavaliers. 

to  the  Church.  Only  a  short  period  elapsed  before 
he  evinced  a  superior  intellect  and  a  winning  ad- 
dress. His  fervent  piety,  his  burning  zeal,  his  un- 
compromising devotion  to  the  cause  of  Christ,  gave 
him  an  influence  that  but  few  men  possessed.  As  a 
preacKer  he  soon  took  rank  with  many  of  his  more 
highly-favored  brethren,  while  as  an  exhorter  he 
had  scarcely  a  peer  in  the  Conference.  More  gifted 
in  his  public  prayer  than  any  preacher  of  our  ac- 
quaintance, the  most  obdurate  hearts  were  often 
melted  while  listening  to  petitions  offered  before 
the  throne  of  grace  in  their  behalf  by  this  faithful 
servant  of  God.  Mr.  Moore  had  traveled  but  a 
few  months  until  the  people  thronged  to  hear  him 
preach.  He  had  a  clear  head,  a  fertile  imagina- 
tion, a  good  voice,  and  was  withal  so  humble.  He 
had  been  soundly  converted  to  God,  and  was  well 
acquainted  with  the  doctrines  of  the  Church,  and 
taught  them  with  marked  ability.  On  the  Leesl v-wg 
Circuit  more  than  one  hundred  souls  were  brought 
to  Christ  through  his  ministry,  and  the  Church  was 
greatly  revived  under  his  labors. 

George  W.  Merritt  was  appointed  to  the  Paris  Cir- 
cuit. He  was  born  in  Fincastle,  Botetourt  county, 
Virginia,  April  17,  1807.  Losing  his  parents  when 
he  was  quite  young,  he  was  placed  under  the  care 
of  an  elder  brother,  who  resided  in  Staunton,  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  was  brought  up  and  educated.  In 
the  autumn  of  1827  he  came  to  Kentucky,  and  set- 
tied  in  Winchester.  During  the  same  year,  under 
the  ministry  of  Henry  McDaniel,  a  good  and  pure 
man,  he  was  awakened  to  his  condition  as  a  sinner, 


Western   Cavaliers.  369 

and  was  received  into  the  Church  as  a  seeker  of  re- 
ligion by  Milton  Jamieson.  A  short  time  after- 
ward he  found  the  pearl  of  great  price. .  He  was 
soon  impressed  with  the  conviction  that  it  was  his 
duty  to  proclaim  the  tidings  of  a  Redeemer's  love 
to  perishing  sinners,  yet  felt  reluctant  to  enter  upon 
so  responsible  a  work.  In  the  meantime  he  re- 
moved to  Lexington,  where,  in  1833,  he  was  licensed 
to  preach  by  William  Gunn,  at  that  time  the  Pre- 
siding Elder  on  the  Lexington  District.  In  the 
spring  of  1834  he  was  employed  by  William  Adams, 
who  succeeded  Mr.  Gunn  as  Presiding  Elder,  to 
travel  on  the  Madison  Circuit,  with  James  Ward, 
until  the  next  Conference  should  meet.  He  entered 
the  Kentucky  Conference  in  1834,  and  was  reap- 
pointed to  the  Madison  Circuit,  with  William  B. 
Landrum.  His  next  appointment  was  to  the  Shelby 
Circuit,  as  the  colleague  of  Richard  Holding.  In 
1836  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the  Mount  Sterling 
Circuit,  and  of  the  Fleming  Circuit  in  1837.  At 
the  Conference  of  1838  he  was  appointed  to  the 
Danville  Circuit,  with  William  D.  Matting,  who  re- 
mained in  the  work  but  a  short  time,  when  Mr.  Mer- 
ritt  was  placed  in  charge,  with  Matthew  jN".  Lasjey, 
who  was  transferred  from  Pulaski  Coal  Mines,  as 
his  colleague.  In  1839  he  was  sent  to  Cynthiana. 
In  1840  we  find  him  on  the  Paris  Circuit,  one  of 
the  most  pleasant  charges  in  the  Conference. 

From  his  en  trance  into  the  ministry  Mr.  Merritt 
gave  promise  of  great  usefulness  in  the  Church. 
His  presence  commanding,  and  popular  in  his  ad- 
dress,  he  was  well  calculated  to  make  friends  in 
16* 


370  Western   Cavaliers. 

every  circle  in  which  he  was  thrown.  Believing 
himself  to  he  divinely  called  to  preach  the  gospel  of 
( Jurist,  he  prosecuted  the  work  of  the  ministry  with 
unswerving  fidelity  and  zeal,  and  was  instrumental 
in  the  accomplishment  of  much  good.  Acceptable 
as  a  preacher,  and  highly  gifted  in  exhortation,  his 
warm  appeals  were  listened  to  with  interest,  while 
many  were  persuaded  to  ahandon  a  life  of  sin  and 
turn  to  God.  On  the  Paris  Circuit,  where  we  find 
him  this  year,  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  per- 
sons were  converted,  and  the  membership  largely 
increased. 

On  the  Millershurg  Circuit,  John  C.  Hardy  was 
equally  successful  in  winning  souls  to  Christ.  He 
was  a  warm  and  earnest  preacher,  and  God  honored 
his  ministry. 

In  the  Lexington  District,  several  of  the  charges 
were  favored  with  extraordinary  revivals  of  religion. 
Under  the  ministry  of  John  Christian  Harrison,  in 
Frankfort,  many  witnessed  a  good  confession.  The 
Versailles  Circuit  was  in  a  blaze.  Edwin  Roberts, 
the  zealous  and  indefatigable  pastor,  like  a  flaming 
fire,  traveled  through  his  circuit,  urging  the  Church 
to  greater  fidelity,  and  pleading  with  sinners  to  be 
reconciled  to  God.  As  early  in  the  Conference-year 
as  November  seventy -five  persons  were  added  to  the 
Church,  and  the  good  work  had  only  commenced. 
The  preachers  on  the  Winchester  Circuit  were  Car- 
lisle Babbitt  and  Drummond  Welburn — the  latter 
a  young  man  who  had  just  joined  the  Conference. 
Promptly  entering  upon  their  work,  they  prosecuted 
it  with  fidelity  and  zeal,  and  before  the  opening  of 


Western    Cavaliers.  371 

spring  about  one  hundred  persons  made  a  profession 
of  religion. 

John  W.   Iviggin   was   in   charge   of  the   Mount 
Sterling  Circuit.    He  was  born  in  Maryland,  August 
26,  1794.     When  he  was  only  eight  years  old  his 
parents  removed  to  Kentucky,  and  settled  in  Mason 
county.     The  country  at  that  period  was  new  and 
sparsely  settled,  and  afforded  him  no  facilities  for 
acquiring  an  education.     He  grew  up  to  manhood  a 
stranger  to  God  and  indifferent  to  the  claims  of  re- 
ligion.     In   1816,   under  the   ministry  of  William 
Holman,  he  was  awakened,  converted,  and  joined 
the  Church.     Believing  it  to  be  his  duty* to  preach 
the  gospel,  yet  not  prepared  to  enter  the  itinerant 
ranks,  in  1823  he  was  licensed  to  preach,  and  for 
eleven  years  was  active  and  useful  in  a  local  sphere. 
In   1833  he   entered   the   Conference,  and   was   ap- 
pointed to  the  Fleming  Circuit  as  junior  preacher, 
and  the  following  year  to  the  same  field  as  preacher 
in  charge.     At  the  Conference  of  1835  we  find  him 
on  the  Grennantown  Circuit,  and  in  1836   on  the 
Lewis  Circuit.     At  the  Conference  of  1837  he  was 
sent  to   Sharpsburg,   where   he  remained  for  two 
years.     In  1839  he  was  sent  to  the  Mount  Sterling 
Circuit,  where  we  still  find  him  in  1840.     On  the 
Mount  Sterling  Circuit,  as  in  all  the  charges  he  had 
previously  filled,  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Riggin  was 
greatly   blessed.     Revivals   crowned   the   labors  of 
this  good    man,   and    many  souls  were   converted 
through  his  instrumentality. 

The  Louisville  District  was  less  prosperous  tins 
year  than   for  several   years  preceding.     Although 


372  Western   Cavaliers. 

the  Fourth-street  and  Eighth-street  Churches  were 
two  separate  charges  the  greater  portion  of  the  year 
before,  yet  they  were  not  formally  separated  until 
the  Conference  of  1840.     John  II.  Linn  was  sta- 
tioned at  Fourth-street,  and  Thomas  Bottomley  at 
Eighth-street.     The  preachers  in  these  two  charges 
were   useful   and   beloved.     In  the   Fourth  -  street 
Church,  Mr.  Linn  attracted   large    congregations, 
who  listened  to  his  warning  voice  and  heard  the 
words  of  life  as  they  fell  from  his  lips.     From  week 
to  week  was  sown  good  seed,  which  soon  bore  fruit 
to  the  honor  and  glory  of  God.     Crowded  assem- 
blies waited  on  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Bottomley,  and 
many  were  brought  into  the  Church  through  his  un- 
ceasing labors.      His  preaching  was  very  peculiar. 
His  language  was  simple,  and  easy  to  be  understood. 
The  uneducated  knew  the  meaning  of  his  words, 
and  the  learned  were  interested  and  impressed  with 
his  plain,  pure  English.     He  but  seldom  preached 
what  are  technically  styled  doctrinal  sermons,  yet  no 
one  understood  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  better 
than  he  did.     It  is  true,  the  theoretical  teachings  of 
Christ  and  the  apostles  were  embodied  in  his  ser- 
mons, in  which   were  set   forth  the   blessings   of 
Christian  experience  and  the  practical  duties  of  re- 
ligious life.     He  made  no  effort  at  display,  and  yet 
he  often  ascended  to  the  loftiest  heights  of  oratory. 
He  was  calm  and  dispassionate  in  the  investigation 
of  his  subject,  and  all  the  while  there  was  a  pathos 
and  a  power  in  his  manner  of  presenting  the  great 
truths  of  the  gospel  by  which  the  pulpit  is  but  sel- 
dom distinguished.     His  exposition  of  the  text  was 


Western   Cavaliers.  373 

lucid  and  forcible,  and  his  exhortations  powerful 
and  convincing.  He  wore  a  round-breasted  coat — 
the  old  Methodist  style — and  looked  every  inch  a 
Methodist  preacher  of  the  Wesleyan  type.  His 
quick  perception  and  sound  judgment,  together  with 
his  consistent  piety  and  burning  zeal,  pointed  him 
out  as  a  safe  counsellor,  and  indicated  the  eminent 
position,  in  the  affections  and  confidence  of  his 
brethren,  which  he  would  occupy  in  the  coming 
years.  Such  was  Thomas  Bottomley  when  we  first 
saw  him,  in  1840. 

Mr.  Bottomley  is  an  Englishman  by  birth,  having 
been  born,  June  2,  1805,  at  Cononley  Woodside, 
near  Skipton-on-Craven,  West  Riding,  Yorkshire, 
England.  On  the  24th  of  December,  1817,  when 
only  twelve  years  of  age,  he  joined  the  Wesleyan 
Methodist  Society,  and  was  converted  December  24, 
1819,  just  two  years  later,  and  preached  his  first 
sermon  December  24,  1822,  being  then  eighteen 
years  of  age.  He  was  soon  afterward  licensed  to 
preach.  In  1827  he  emigrated  to  America,  landing 
in  New  York  July  4  of  that  year.  From  this  pe- 
riod until  the  spring  of  1840  he  exercised  his  gifts 
as  a  local  preacher,  when  he  was  admitted  on  trial 
into  the  Baltimore  Conference,  and  transferred  to 
Arkansas.  On  his  way  to  Arkansas  he  was  detained 
in  Louisville  by  the  sickness  of  his  wife.  In  the  au- 
tumn of  the  same  year  he  became  a  member  of  the 
Kentucky  Conference,  and  was  appointed  to  the 
Eighth-street  Church,  where  Ave  now  find  him. 

William  Hoi  man  was  stationed  at  Brook-street. 
Although  not  gifted  as  a  preacher,  his  persuasive 


374  Western    Cavaliers. 

powers  could  scarcely  be  excelled.  In  every  portion 
of  the  State  where  he  had  preached  the  gospel  of 
( Jhrist  there  were  seals  to  his  ministry.  He  was  first 
stationed  in  Louisville  in  1833,  and,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  1837  and  1838,  had  continued  in  that  city. 
He  was  well  known  in  the  community,  and  much 
beloved  by  the  people.  Amongst  the  poorer  classes, 
to  whom  he  was  especially  attentive,  he  Was  a  great 
favorite.  He  was  a  superior  pastor,  and  it  was  in 
all  probability  his  gifts  in  this  department  of  minis- 
terial work  that  contributed  more  than  did  any 
thing  else  to  the  power  and  influence  he  exercised  in 
the  city  of  Louisville.  To  him  it  made  no  difference 
whether  his  services  were  required  in  the  palaces  of 
wealth  or  in  the  garrets  of  the  poor;  it  was  always 
the  same.  \Vherever  affliction  and  sorrow,  suffer- 
ing and  want,  were  found,  like  an  angel  of  merc}T  he 
was  present  to  administer  a  balm.  The  midnight 
watch  often  found  him  sitting  at  the  bedside  of  sor- 
row-stricken  ones,  offering  the  consolations  of  re- 
ligion, or  kneeling  and  offering  up  earnest  prayers 
in  their  behalf.  The  winds  never  blew  so  fiercely, 
tin;  storms  never  howled  so  loudly,  the  rains  never 
descended  in  such  torrents,  as  to  hinder  him  in  his 
labor  of  love.  Possessing  a  feeble  constitution,  he 
performed  the  work  of  a  strong  man,  with  an  alac- 
rity that  surprised  all  who  knew  him.  The  Brook- 
street  Church,  the  present  year,  continued  to  prosper 
under  liis  care. 

We  have  previously  referred  to  the  German  pop- 
ulation that  was  settling  in  Louisville.  In  1839  the 
question  of  supplying  them  with  the  gospel  was  not 


Western   Cavaliers.  375 

only  agitated,  but  the  purpose  was  formed  to  fur- 
nish them  with  the  means  of  grace.  The  establish- 
ment of  a  German  Mission  was  contemplated;  but, 
failing  to  secure  a  suitable  preacher,  the  work  was 
temporarily  abandoned.  In  1840  Peter  Schmucker 
was  appointed  to  this  important  held.  It  would 
have  been  difficult  to  find  a  man  better  adapted  to 
the  successful  prosecution  of  this  work  than  Mr. 
Schmucker.  He  entered  upon  his  charge  about  the 
last  of  December,  and  on  the  2d  of  March  he  writes 
from  Louisville:  "It  is  only  about  five  weeks  since 
I  commenced  forming  a  German  Society  here,  and 
from  five  to  ten  have  been  received  every  Sabbath 
since,  so  that  we  now  number  fifty-six."  *  At  the 
close  of  the  year  he  reported  ninety-three  members. 

In  the  Jefferson  Circuit,  under  the  ministry  of 
Joseph  D.  Barnett  and  James  S.  Woolls,  there  was 
considerable  prosperity,  although  there  was  a  de- 
crease in  the  colored  membership. 

Moses  Levi  traveled  on  the  Elizabcthtown  Circuit, 
where  his  labors  were  greatly  blessed;  while  Peter 
Taylor  had  charge  of  the  Hardinsburg  Circuit,  in 
which  there  were  extensive  revivals. 

In  the  Brandenburg  Circuit,  Alanson  C.  Dewitt 
and  Francis  M.  English  labored  faithfully  and  with 
success.  This  was  Mr.  English's  first  circuit;  but 
Mr.  Dewitt  had  traveled  as  a  preacher  for  several 
years.  He  was  born  in  Bedford  county,  Virginia, 
July  23,  1809.  He  was  converted  September  1, 
1824,  when  fifteen  years  of  age.  Believing  that  he 
was  divinely  called  to  the  work  of  the  ministry, 

*  Letter  in  Western  Christian  Advocate. 


376  Western   Cavaliers. 

after  many  misgivings  lie  yielded  to  the  conviction, 
and  was  licensed  to  preach  by  George  \V.  Taylor, 
May  25, 1833.  In  the  autumn  of  1834  he  began  his 
itinerant  career,  and  for  two  years  performed  the 
duties  of  a  traveling  preacher  under  the  appoint- 
ment of  the  Presiding  Elder.  In  1836  he  was  ad- 
mitted into  the  Kentucky  Conference,  and  appointed 
to  the  Elizabeth  Circuit,  as  the  colleague  of  Joseph 
D.  Barnett.  In  1837  he  was  sent  to  the  Glasgow 
Circuit,  with  James  King,  and  in  1838  to  the  Bowl- 
ing Green  Circuit  alone.  At  the  Conference  of  1839 
his  field  of  labor  was  the  Scottsville  Circuit,  and  in 
1840  we  find  him  on  the  Brandenburg  Circuit. 
The  preaching  of  Mr.  Dewitt  was  calculated  to  build 
up  the  Church  rather  than  to  gather  persons  into 
its  folds,  yet  in  the  charges  he  had  filled  many  had 
been  awakened  and  converted  through  his  instru- 
mentality.  The  Brandenburg  Circuit  was  one  of 
the  most  pleasant  in  the  Conference.  Methodism 
exerted  a  controlling  influence  within  its  bounds; 
but  under  the  ministry  of  Alanson  C.  Dewitt  the 
membership  was  considerably  increased.  Though 
as  a  preacher  he  was  unostentatious  and  plain,  yet  in 
his  sermons  there  was  a  clearness  and  strength  that 
rendered  them  peculiarly  impressive  and  attractive. 
Whether  he  defended  the  doctrines  of  Christianity 
or  enforced  the  practical  duties  of  religious  life  upon 
his  hearers,  his  words  were  well  chosen,  and  good 
was  accomplished.  Unassuming  and  modest,  he 
yielded  too  readily  to  discouragements,  and  thus 
sometimes  failed  to  win  the  prize  that  was  within 
his  grasp.     With  a  Large  and  growing  family,  and 


Western   Cavaliers.  377 

but  poorly  supported,  he  at  times  hesitated  as  to 
whether  he  should  retire  to  the  local  ranks,  and 
serve  the  Church  in  a  more  limited  sphere,  or  prose- 
cute the  duties  of  the  itinerant  ministry,  although 
confronted  hy  difficulties.  Believing  that  God  had 
called  him  to  devote  his  life  to  this  service,  he  "  chose 
rather  to  suffer  affliction"  and  meet  with  trials  than 
to  turn  away  from  the  path  of  duty  so  obviously 
marked  out. 

In  the  Shelbyville  District  only  two  appointments 
report  an  increase — the  Hodgenville  and  the  Litch- 
field Circuits.  Napoleon  B.  Lewis  and  James  I. 
George  traveled  on  the  former,  and  James  E.  Nix  on 
the  latter.     Both  charges  were  blessed  with  revivals. 

The  Harrodsburg  and  Danville  Station,  the  Dan- 
ville and  the  Irvine  Circuits,  and  the  Mount  Yernon 
Mission,  in  the  Harrodsburg  District,  report  each  an 
increase  in  the  membership  this  year.  Richard 
Deering,  who  was  reappointed  to  Harrodsburg  and 
Danville,  labored  with  undiminished  zeal,  and  the 
pleasure  of  the  Lord  continued  to  prosper  in  his 
hands.  On  the  Danville  Circuit,  we  find  Robinson 
E.  Sidebottom  prosecuting  his  work  with  energy, 
and  reaping  the  reward  of  his  labors.  Two  revivals 
in  the  bounds  of  his  work — one  at  Beech  Grove, 
and  the  other  at  Joseph's  Chapel — were  the  result, 
under  the  blessing  of  God,  of  his  faithful  ministry. 
At  the  former  he  had  the  assistance  of  Munford 
Pelley,  who  was  traveling  on  the  circuit  with  him, 
under  the  appointment  of  the  Presiding  Elder,  and 
at  the  latter  he  was  favored  with  the  efficient  serv- 
ices of  Edwin  Roberts.     Peter  Duncan  had  charge 


378  Western   Cavaliers. 

of  the  Irvine  Circuit,  where  he  preached  with  great 
success;  while  the  Mount  Vernon  Mission,  served 
by  Thomas  Hall,  a  good  and  pure  man,  enjoyed 
prosperity. 

James  King  was  the  leader  of  the  hosts  in  the 
Bowline:  Green  District.  But  few  men  in  the  Con- 
ference  attracted  more  attention  in  the  pulpit,  or 
preached  with  greater  power,  than  did  this  plain  and 
unostentatious  minister  of  Christ.  The  influence 
he  exerted  for  good  was  widely  felt  in  the  District 
over  win  eh  he  presided. 

John  C.  C.  Thompson,  a  burning  and  a  shining 
light,  had  charge  of  the  Greensburg  Circuit.  He 
had  entered  the  itinerant  ranks  in  1835,  and  wher- 
ever he  had  preached  his  ministry  was  signally 
blessed.  On  the  Glasgow  Circuit,  where  his  earliest 
trophies  were  won  by  the  persuasive  power  of  the 
truth  as  it  fell  warm  from  his  lips,  many  were  turned 
from  darkness  to  liffht.  As  the  colleague  of  the 
venerable  John  Denham  on  the  Burksville  Circuit, 
lie  had  been  eminently  useful.  He  was  reappointed 
to  the  Burksville  Circuit,  but  was  removed,  after  a 
few  weeks,  to  the  Lebanon  Circuit,  to  assist  Mat- 
thew X.  Lasley.  In  1838  he  was  returned  to  the 
Lebanon  Circuit,  and  in  1839  was  appointed  to 
Manchester,  in  themouutain  region  of  the  State,  in 
both  of  which  he  continued  to  be  useful.  We  meet 
with  him  the  present  year  on  the  Greensburg  Cir- 
cuit, like  a  flaming  fire,  passing  through  his  charge, 
comforting  the  people  of  God  and  exhorting  sinners 
1"  repent.  In  the  pulpit,  in  the  altar,  in  the  social 
circle,  he  recommended  the  religion  of  Jesus,  and 


Western   Cavaliers.  379 

persuaded  sinners  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  The 
sound  of  his  Master's  feet  was  heard  behind  him, 
and  many  were  brought  to  Christ. 

Matthew  IN".  Lasley  was  the  son  of  the  Rev. 
Thomas  Lasley,  so  distinguished  in  the  history  of 
Methodism  in  the  West  and  South,  and  the  grand- 
son of  the  Rev.  Manoah  Lasley,  to  whose  labors 
and  zeal  in  the  early  settlement  of  Kentucky  the 
Church  is  greatly  indebted. 

Matthew  N.  Lasley  was  born  in  Green  county, 
Kentucky,  December  2,  1812.  Brought  up  under 
religious  influence,  he  was  early  impressed  with  the 
importance  of  religion,  and  in  the  fifteenth  year  of 
his  age  he  was  converted,  at  Blowing  Spring  Camp- 
ground, near  Greensburg,  while  Abram  Long  was 
preaching  on  Sabbath  night.  His  father  a  travel- 
ing preacher,  and  his  father's  house  the  home  of 
the  weary  itinerant,  in  childhood  he  became  familiar 
with  the  trials  and  sacrifices  incident  to  the  life  of 
the  faithful  preacher  of  the  gospel.  The  impression 
that  the  path  of  duty  would  lead  him  to  the  minis- 
try greatly  marred  his  happiness.  With  a  proper 
conception  of  the  sacredness  of  the  office,  and  of 
his  inadequacy  for  so  responsible  a  work,  he  would 
gladly  have  shrunk  from  the  task.  It  was  not  until 
he  attained  to  manhood  that  he  yielded  to  his  con- 
victions. On  the  12th  of  July,  1834,  he  left  his  plow 
in  the  furrow,  midway  the  field,  and  started  to  a 
epiarterly  -  meeting  held  on  the  Glasgow  Circuit, 
where  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  George  W. 
Taylor,  and  placed  by  him  on  the  Burksville  Circuit, 
as  the  colleague  of  Thomas  C.  Davis. 


380  Western   Cavaliers. 

At  the  following  Conference  he  was  admitted  on 
trial,  and  appointed  to  the  same  circuit  as  junior 
preacher,  Joseph  D.  Barnett  heing  then  in  charge. 
Working  in  harmony,  the  lahors  of  these  faithful 
men  were  blessed.  Vital  Christianity,  in  this  sec- 
tion of  the  State,  was  confronted  at  that  period  by 
the  erroneous  teachings  of  Campbellism,  then  in  its 
full  strength.  The  Church,  however,  prospered.  A 
new  camp-ground  was  established  at  Huffman's,  in 
Monroe  county,  at  which  many  were  brought  to 
Christ,  and  which  became  a  great  Methodist  center, 
where  hundreds  have  been  converted.  In  that  cir- 
cuit the  names  of  John  and  Obey  Baker,  with  their 
excellent  families,  and  those  of  James  L.  Greenup 
and  Barton  Harlan,  worthy  local  preachers,  deserve 
to  be  recorded. 

On  his  way  to  the  Conference  held  at  Shelby ville 
in  1835,  Mr.  Lasley  stopped  at  Beech  Fork  camp- 
meeting,  in  Nelson  county,  where  he  spent  a  few 
days  pleasantly  and  profitably.  From  this  Confer- 
ence he  was  appointed  to  the  Salt  River  Circuit,  as 
the  colleague  of  the  venerable  James  Ward,  with 
his  estimable  father  in  charge  of  the  District,  as 
Presiding  Elder.  The  circuit  was  large  in  its  terri- 
torial limits,  and  included  thirty  preaching-places. 
The  year  was  pleasant  and  profitable  to  the  young 
preacher,  closing  with  an  excellent  camp-meeting 
at  Beech  Fork  Camp-ground,  at  which  Hubbard 
H.  Ivavanaugh  and  Dr.  Bascom  were  present  and 
]> readied  with  great  ability  and  power.  It  was  at 
this  camp-meeting  that  Dr.  Bascom  preached,  on 
Sabbath  at  eleven  o'clock,  from  the  text,  "For  the 


Western   Cavaliers.  381 

great  day  of  his  wrath  is  come;  and  who  shall  he 
able  to  stand? "  *  The  sermon  was  powerful— over- 
whelming. As  he  portrayed  the  scenes  of  the  judg- 
ment-day and  repeated  the  words  of  the  text,  "For 
the  great  day  of  his  wrath  is  come,"  five  thousand 
people  sprang  to  their  feet,  frantic  with  alarm. 

From  the  Salt  River  Circuit  we  follow  Mr.  Lasley 
to  the  Lebanon  Circuit,  where  he  remained  two 
years,  and  in  which,  under  his  ministry,  hundreds 
were  brought  to  Christ.  His  colleague  the  first 
year  was  William  D.  Matting,  and  the  second  year 
John  C.  C.  Thompson,  who  was  removed  from  the 
Burksville  Circuit  to  aid  Mr.  Lasley— both  of  whom 
were  burning  and  shining  lights— while  in  the  local 
ranks  he  was  assisted  by  John  Sandusky  and  James 
Cain,  useful  and  gifted  local  preachers.  The  entire 
circuit  was  in  a  flame.  Hundreds  were  converted. 
At  a  single  meeting  held  at  Pleasant  Run,  the  first 
year— a  place  sacred  in  the  annals  of  Kentucky 
Methodism— nearly  a  hundred  passed  from  death 
unto  life.  At  Spratt's  Camp -ground,  in  Taylor 
county,  the  second  year,  a  basket-meeting  was  held, 
whose  fruitage  will  greatly  augment  the  number  of 
the  saved  in  eternity;  while  at  Pleasant  Run  a 
meeting  was  held,  which,  in  power  and  in  the  num- 
ber of  conversions,  exceeded  that  of  the  former  year. 
Before  leaving  the  circuit  Mr.  Lasley  solicited  a 
subscription  to  build  a  church  in  Lebanon,  and  then 
placed  the  house  under  contract, 

It  was  at  the  Conference  held  in  Danville,  in  1838, 
that  we  remember  to  have  first  seen  Mr.  Lasley. 
*Rev.  vi.  17. 


3S2  Western   Cavaliers. 

He  was  then  in  the  prime  of  life,  yet  seemed  enfee- 
bled by  the  labors  he  had  performed.  His  appoint- 
ment was  to  the  Pulaski  Coal  Banks,  where  he  had 
hard  work  and  meager  support.  He  remained  in 
this  charge  until  spring,  when  the  Presiding  Elder 
sent  him  to  Somerset,  to  rest  and  recuperate.  While 
in  Somerset  he  made  arrangements  to  build  a  new 
el  in  rob,  but  was  called  from  this  work  to  the  Dan- 
ville Circuit,  a  few  weeks  later,  where  he  labored 
until  Conference,  with  George  W.  Merritt,  supplying 
the  place  of  William  D.  Matting,  who  had  retired 
from  the  circuit.  In  1839  he  was  sent  to  the  Pres- 
tonsburg  Circuit,  in  the  mountain  region  of  the 
State,  where  he  spent  a  delightful  year. 

During  the  period  in  which  Mr.  Lasley  had  been 
an  itinerant  no  man  in  the  Conference  had  labored 
with  greater  diligence  and  fidelity  than  he.  A  clear 
and  forcible  preacher,  he  was  not  only  acceptable 
everywhere,  but  was  greatly  beloved  by  the  people 
he  served.  Zealous  and  energetic,  his  feeble  consti- 
tution was  unequal  to  the  heavy  and  constant  drain 
made  upon  it,  and  at  the  Conference  of  1840  he  be- 
lieved it  to  be  his  duty  to  retire  and  rest,  that  he 
might  reenter  the  service  with  redoubled  energy, 
lie  hoped  that  in  a  local  sphere  he  might  be  able 
to  accomplish  something  for  the  Master,  and  hence 
he  located.  He  was,  however,  allowed  to  remain 
local  but  a  few  weeks.  George  W.  Simcoe  and 
Zachariah  M.  Taylor  were  appointed  to  the  Glasgow 
Circuit.  Mr.  Simcoe  failed  to  reach  the  circuit,  and 
James  King,  the  Presiding  Elder,  prevailed  on  Mr. 
Lasley  to  iill  the  vacancy.     No  appointment  could 


Western    Cavaliers.  383 

have  been  more  opportune;  for  he  was  well  known 
on  that  charge,  and  highly  esteemed  as  a  minister 
of  Christ. 

Before  he  entered  on  the  discharge  of  his  duties 
on  the  Glasgow  Circuit,  meetings  had  been  held  at 
different  points,  resulting  in  much  good.  The  in- 
terest, however,  continued  to  increase,  until  the  en- 
tire circuit  was  in  a  blaze.  The  revival  continued 
through  the  year,  and  hundreds  were  awakened  and 
converted  to  God. 

Mr.  Taylor  was  the  son  of  a  Methodist  preacher, 
and  had  been  brought  up  in  the  Church.  His  father, 
George  W.  Taylor,  was  one  of  the  most  able  and  in- 
fluential members  of  the  Conference.  Under  their 
ministry  the  Glasgow  Circuit  became  one  of  the  best 
in  the  Conference. 

The  Burksville,  the  Albany,  the  Wayne,  and  the. 
Columbia  Circuits,  in  the  same  District,  were  greatly 
blessed. 

Joel  Peak,  a  plain  and  faithful  preacher,  was  trav- 
eling on  the  Burksville  Circuit.  He  had  entered  the 
Conference  in  1837,  and  had  filled  the  Falmouth  and 
the  Madison  Circuits — the  latter  two  years.  His 
appointment  to  the  Burksville  Circuit,  in  1840,  was 
pleasant  to  himself  and  gratifying  to  the  people. 
Entering  upon  his  work  soon  after  the  close  of  the 
Conference,  he  prosecuted  his  ministry  with  com- 
mendable zeal,  and  many,  through  his  instrumen- 
tality, were  brought  into  the  Church.  While  Mr. 
Peak,  in  the  Burksville  Circuit,  was  winning  souls 
to  Christ,  in  the  Wayne  Circuit  William  D.  Minga, 
who  had  been   admitted   on   trial  at  the   previous 


384  We  stern   Cavaliers. 

Conference,  was  gathering  many  seals  to  his  minis- 
try. At  the  same  time  John  C.  Baskett  was  wit- 
nessing the  fruit  of  his  labors  in  the  Albany  Circuit; 
while  on  the  Columbia  Circuit  James  C.  Crow  re- 
ceived sixty  members  into  the  Church. 

In  the  Iiopkinsville  District,  there  was  an  inter- 
esting revival  of  religion  in  Russellville,  under  the 
ministry  of  Edward  Stevenson,  and  on  the  Elkton 
and  Logan  Circuit,  where  Wesley  G.  Montgomery 
and  Warren  M.  Pitts — the  latter  a  local  preacher 
employed  by  the  Presiding  Elder — were  dispensing 
the  word  of  life.  In  the  La  Fayette  Circuit,  James  I. 
Ferree,  a  sprightly  and  zealous  young  man,  was  the 
instrument  of  much  good;  while,  in  the  Princeton 
Circuit,  the  ministry  of  Robert  G.  Gardner  continued 
to  be  blessed.  Thomas  Demoss,  on  the  Madisonville 
Circuit,  and  Jesse  Cromwell,  on  the  Greenville  Cir- 
cuit, witnessed  the  conversion  of  many  souls. 

In  no  part  of  the  Conference,  during  this  year, 
were  such  displays  of  divine  power  witnessed  as  in 
the  Barboursville  District,  Richard  D.  Neale,  the 
Presiding  Elder,  was  one  of  the  most  zealous  min- 
isters in  the  Church.  He  traveled  his  extensive  and 
fugged  District,  preaching,  as  he  passed  through  it, 
on  every  occasion  that  offered.  His  sermons  were 
attended  with  the  demonstration  of  the  Spirit,  and 
with  power,  to  the  hearts  of  the  people,  and  many 
turned  to  God. 

On  the  Mount  Pleasant  Mission,  Nathanael  H. 
Lee,  the  faithful  missionary,  witnessed  extraordinary 
outpourings  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  From  the  center 
to   the  circumference   of  his    charge   sinners   were 


Western   Cavaliers.  385 

awakened  and  penitents  converted  to  God.  In  the 
Kentucky  Mission,  William  James  enjoyed  inter- 
esting revivals  of  religion,  and  a  large  ingathering 
into  the  Church.  The  Prestonsburg  Circuit  was  in 
a  blaze.  Allen  Sears,  one  of  the  most  indefatigable 
and  industrious  preachers  we  ever  knew,  labored 
with  uncompromising  zeal,  and  gathered  much  fruit 
to  the  Master.  On  the  Louisa  Circuit,  under  the 
ministry  of  Jedidiah  Foster,  the  membership  was 
nearly  doubled;  in  the  West  Liberty  Mission,  An- 
drew M.  Bailey  almost  trebled  the  membership;  and 
on  the  Red  Bird  Mission,  the  preacher  returned  al- 
most twice  as  many  members  as  were  reported  the 
year  before. 

At  the  General  Conference  of  1840  the  Tennessee 
Conference  was  divided — the  western  portion  of  it, 
embracing  a  part  of  Kentucky,  to  be  called  the 
Memphis  Conference.  The  Hickman,  the  Paducah, 
and  the  Wadesboro  Circuits  were  included  in  the 
new  Conference.  To  the  Hickman  Circuit  James 
M.  Major  and  Daniel  Mooney  were  appointed;  to 
the  Paducah  Circuit,  George  E.  Young  and  E.  L. 
Ragland;  and  Benjamin  Barham  to  the  Wadesboro 
Circuit. 

At  a  camp-meeting  held  in  the  Paducah  Circuit, 
in  July,  thirty -five  persons  were  converted,  and 
about  the  same  number  were  added  to  the  Church. 
At  the  close  of  a  camp-meeting  held  in  the  Wades- 
boro Circuit,  the  last  of  August,  Daniel  Mooney,  in 
a  letter  to  the  editor  of  the  South-western  Christian 
Advocate,  dated  September  10,  says:  "The  camp- 
nieeting  at  Mount  Pisgah  is  just  over.  The  result 
17 


386  Western    Cavaliers. 

was  rather  more  glorious  than  we  conld  have  antici- 
pated. The  preachers  preached  in  the  spirit  of  their 
Divine  Master;  for,  indeed,  their  words  fell  with  all 
the  weight  of  a  prophet's  fire  on  the  congregation. 
Those  who  felt  sensibly  a  declension  of  the  work  of 
grace  in  their  own  souls  were  greatly  revived  and 
strengthened;  some  who  had  been  mourners  for 
three  or  four  years  were  happily  and  powerfully 
converted;  and  the  gay  and  inconsiderate,  and  the 
gray -headed  sinners,  were  smitten  'between  the 
joints  of  the  harness'  by  the  arrowTs  of  the  Al- 
mighty, which  caused  them  to  fall  before  God  into 
the  altar,  like  Dagon  before  the  ark,  and  cry  for 
mercy.  The  precise  number  converted  is  not  yet 
known;  but,  from  the  best  calculation,  there  were 
about  sixty  who  found  the  gospel  to  be  the  power  of 
God  to  their  own  salvation,  and  forty-seven  attached 
themselves  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  on 
probation." 

On  the  Hickman  Circuit,  Mr.  Mooney  says:  "At 
several  of  our  appointments  we  have  had  a  comfort- 
able revival  of  God's  work.  At  my  week-day  ap- 
pointment, at  Pleasant  Hill,  we  had  a  most  com- 
fortable time  with  several  mourners  who  came  to 
the  altar  of  prayer.  On  the  next  Sunday  evening 
Brother  Major  had  an  appointment  there,  and  five 
were  converted.  Brother  Gentry,  a  local  preacher, 
and  myself  held  a  two-days'  meeting  at  Xew  Hope, 
at  which  there  were  eight  brightly  and  soundly  con- 
verted. Some  local  brethren  held  a  two-days'  meet- 
ing at  Walnut  Grove,  and  I  learn  that  five  embraced 
religion  there.     Our  camp-meeting  at  Mobley's  was 


Western    Cavaliers.  387 

not  as  great  as  we  anticipated,  though  there  were 
thirty-live  or  forty  who  professed  religion,  if  our 
calculation  was  correct.  It  is  probable  that  there 
have  been  something  over  a  hundred  additions  to 
the  Church  this  year." 

In  the  Kentucky  Conference  the  increase  this 
year  was  one  thousand  fou/hundred  and  seventy- 
nine  white  and  four  hundred  and  forty  colored 
members;  in  Jackson's  Purchase  there  was  an  in- 
crease of  three  hundred  and  ten  in  the  white  mem- 
bership and  a  decrease  of  three  in  the  colored. 

The  total  increase  in  Kentucky  was  one  thousand 
seven  hundred  and  eighty-nine  white  and  four  hundred 
and  thirty -seven  colored. 


388  Western    Cavaliers. 


CHAPTER  X. 

FROM  THE  SESSION"  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CONFERENCE  OF 
1841  TO  THE  CONFERENCE  OF  1842. 

The  little  cloud  increases  still, 

The  heavens  are  big  with  rain; 
We  wait  to  catch  the  teeming  shower, 

And  all  its  moisture  drain: 
A  rill,  a  stream,  a  torrent  flows, 

But  pour  the  mighty  flood ; 
0  sweep  the  nations,  shake  the  earth, 

Till  all  proclaim  thee  God ! 

THE  session  of  the  Kentucky  Conference  of  1841 
was  held  in  Maysville,  commencing  September 
15.  There  was  no  Bishop  present,  and  Jonathan 
Stamper  was  called  to  the  chair,  and  opened  the 
Conference  with  reading  the  Scriptures  and  with 
prayer. 

After  the  roll  had  been  called,  the  Conference 
proceeded  to  elect  a  President.  Upon  balloting, 
Jonathan  Stamper  was  duly  elected. 

Thomas  N".  Ralston  was  elected  Secretary,  and 
William  M.  Crawford  Assistant  Secretary. 

Isaac  Collard  and  Hubbard  IT.  Kavanaugh  were 
appointed  the  Committee  on  Public  Worship. 

John  Christian  Harrison,  William  B.  Landrnm, 


Western   Cavaliers.  389 

and  William  H.  Anderson,  were  appointed  Stewards 
of.  the  Conference. 

Alanson  C.  Dewitt,  John  Beatty,  and  Albert  H. 
Bedford,  were  appointed  the  Committee  on  Books 
and  Periodicals. 

Burr  H.  MeCown,  John  H.  Linn,  and  Hubbard  H. 
Ivavanaugh,  were  appointed  the  Committee  on  Me- 
moirs. 

The  following  resolution,  signed  by  Benjamin  T. 
Crouch  and  George  W.  Brush,  was  presented  and 
adopted: 

"Whereas,  there  is  much  interest  felt  and  mani- 
fested in  our  State,  and  especially  in  the  northern 
part  of  it,  on  the  subject  of  Temperance;  and 
whereas,  we  regard  the  good  already  effected  by  the 
temperance  reform  as  sufficient  encouragement  to 
all  the  friends  of  morality  and  religion  to  continue 
their  exertions  in  its  behalf;  and  whereas,  we  believe 
this  Conference  cannot  acquit  itself  fully  in  the  esti- 
mation of  the  public  generally,  and  especially  of  the 
religious  portion  thereof,  without  a  continuation  of 
its  usual  cooperation  in  this  great  and  good  work 
by  some  distinctive  action  upon  the  subject,  at  its 
present  session;  therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  three  of  the  mem- 
bers of  this  body  be  appointed,  to  be  styled  the 
Committee  on  Temperance,  whose  duty  it  shall  be 
to  take  this  subject  under  consideration  and  advise- 
ment, and  report  thereon  to  the  Conference  as  early 
as  practicable." 

The  Kentucky  Conference,  at  this  period,  was  in 
full  sympathy  with  the  great  temperance  movement 


390  Western    Cavaliers. 

that  was  exerting  so  powerful  an  influence  in  the 
commonwealth;  hence,  we  find  that  not  only  on  the 
first  day  of  the  session,  hut  in  advance  of  any  other 
question,  the  action  of  the  Conference  is  invited  to 
this  subject.  Hubbard  H.  Kavanaugh,  George  W. 
Brush,  and  Burr  H.  McCown,  were  appointed  on  this 
committee.  A  Committee  on  Necessitous  Cases  was 
also  appointed,  consisting  of  Jedidiah  Foster  and 
Carlisle  Babbitt. 

At  the  afternoon  session  of  the  first  day  a  com- 
munication from  Bishop  Andrew  was  received  and 
read  before  the  Conference,  presenting  an  account 
of  the  great  affliction  in  his  family  as  the  cause  of 
his  absence,  and  expressing  regret  that  he  would 
not  be  able  to  be  present.  At  the  request  of  the 
Conference,  the  President  appointed  a  committee  of 
three  to  prepare  a  letter  of  condolence  to  Bishop 
Andrew.  Edward  Stevenson,  Henry  B.  Bascom, 
and  Burr  H.  McCown,  composed  the  committee. 

On  the  first  day  of  the  Conference,  during  the 
morning  session,  a  resolution  was  passed,  requesting 
that  a  committee  of  seven  be  appointed  oil  the  af- 
fairs of  Augusta  College;  and  during  the  afternoon 
of  the  same  day  Edward  Stevenson,  George  W. 
Brush,  John  H.  Linn,  John  Tevis,  Napoleon  B. 
Lewis,  Peter. Taylor,  and  John  W.  Biggin,  were  ap- 
pointed as  the  committee. 

On  the  second  day  of  the  session  a  plan  for  the 
improvement  of  ministerial  qualification,  in  order  to 
admission  into  the  Kentucky  Conference,  was  sub- 
mitted in  the  following  resolutions: 

"  Whereas,  in  the  opinion  of  this  Conference,  the 


Western    Cavaliers.  391 

aid  of  learning  is  deemed  highly  important  to  min- 
isterial qualification;  and  whereas,  in  view  of  the 
vast  and  rapid  advance  of  mental  improvement 
throughout  society,  there  is  an  imperious  demand 
on  us  to  elevate  the  standard  of  ministerial  educa- 
tion, in  order  to  maintain  an  influence  in  society, 
and  to  avail  ourselves  of  all  human  as  well  as  divine 
aid  for  increased  usefulness, 

uBe  it  therefore  resolved,  by  the  Kentucky  Annual 
Conference,  That  after  the  session  of we  will  re- 
quire of  all  unmarried  young  men,  who  may  present 
themselves  for  admission  into  the  Conference,  that 
they  be  examined,  by  a  committee  appointed  by  the 
Bishop  or  President  of  the  Conference,  upon  the 
studies  now  prescribed  for  the  first  four  years  after 
admission  upon  trial;  and  if  they  are  found  defi- 
cient, that  they  be  sent  to  Augusta  College  to  pur- 
sue the  said  course,  either  in  whole  or  in  part,  being 
furnished  with  a  certificate,  by  the  committee,  show- 
ing their  claims  to  the  provisions  of  the  plan,  and 
prescribing  the  time  to  remain  and  the  studies  to  be 
pursued. 

uBe  it  also  resolved,  by  the  Conference,  That  we  add 
to  the  above  course  the  study  of  the  original  lan- 
guages of  the  Bible,  for  at  least  one  year. 

"By  order  of  the  Conference,  This  plan  shall  take 
effect  at  the  time  prescribed:  provided  that  against 
that  time  the  Conference  shall  receive  satisfactory 
assurance  that  provision  has  been  made  to  meet 
the  boarding  expenses  of  such  candidates  for  the 
ministry,  during  their  course  of  instruction  in  the 
College." 


392  Western    Cavaliers. 

These  resolutions  were  signed  by  Burr  H.  McOown 
and  Thomas  X.  Ralston,  and  were  referred  to  the 
Committee  on  the  Affairs  of  Augusta  College. 

"While  these  resolutions  contemplated  more  than 
was  practicable  at  this  period,  yet  we  cannot  but 
feel  a  pleasure  in  the  effort  the  Conference  was 
making  to  elevate  the  standard  of  ministerial  quali- 
fication. Previous  to  this  date  the  demand  for 
preachers,  together  with  the  absence  of  facilities  for 
acquiring  an  education,  was  an  excuse  for  receiving 
men  into  the  itinerant  ministry  whose  mental  cult- 
ure had  been  limited  to  very  few  of  the  elementary 
branches  of  education.  Circumstances,  however, 
were  changing — indeed,  had  changed — materially. 
The  door  to  a  liberal  education  had  been  opened  to 
the  people,  and  they  were  availing  themselves  of 
the  advantages  which  were  offered;  and  hence  the 
ministers  by  whom  they  were  to  be  taught  would  be 
expected  to  keep  pace  with  those  to  whom  they 
might  minister. 

On  the  third  day  of  the  session  a  resolution  was 
offered,  "  that  a  committee  of  three  be  appointed  to 
take  into  consideration  the  best  methods  of  carrying 
into  effect  the  objects  of  the  'Preachers'  Aid  So- 
ciety;'" and  Burr  H.  McCown,  Carlisle  Babbitt,  and 
George  W.  Brush,  constituted  the  committee. 

The  following  resolutions,  signed  by  Benjamin  T. 
Crouch,  John  H.  Linn,  and  William  Gunn,  were 
offered  and  adopted: 

"  Whereas,  the  Science  Hill  Female  Academy,  in 
Shelbyville,  Kentucky,  has  long  sustained  itself  as 
an  institution   of  high  literary  and  moral  worth, 


Western   Cavaliers.  393 

justly  entitled  to  the  patronage  and  fostering  coun- 
tenance of  an  enlightened  and  Christian  public;  and 
whereas,  this  body  is  anxious,  by  all  proper  means 
and  methods,  to  encourage  and  promote  sound  learn- 
ing in  general,  and  female  education  in  particular; 
therefore, 

"  1.  Resolved,  That  we  will  continue  to  extend 
our  patronage  to  the  Science  Hill  Female  Academy, 
by  presenting  its  character  and  claims  to  our  people, 
and  by  such  other  means  as  may  be  suitable  to  recom- 
mend it  to  the  public. 

"2.  Resolved,  That  the  Presiding  Elder  of  the 
Shelbyville  District,  and  the  preachers  stationed  in 
Shelbyville  and  in  charge  of  the  Shelby  Circuit, 
from  time  to  time,  be  a  committee  to  attend  the  ex- 
aminations of  said  Academy,  and  report  its  condition 
annually  to  this  Conference." 

The  Science  Hill  Female  Academy  was  founded 
by  Mrs.  Julia  A.  Tevis,  the  wife  of  John  Tevis,  in 
March,  1825.  For  more  than  sixteen  years  it  had 
pursued  its  mission  of  good,  and  had  proved  itself 
worthy  the  confidence  and  patronage  of  the  Con- 
ference, and  was  nobly  sustained  by  the  Church. 
However,  it  sometimes  occurred,  strange  as  it  may 
seem,  that  Protestant,  and  even  Methodist,  parents, 
instead  of  sending  their  daughters  to  Science  Hill, 
where  they  might  receive  a  first-class  education  and 
become  well  prepared  for  the  duties  of  life,  patron- 
ized female  colleges  under  the  supervision  of  Romish 
priests,  where  only  a  superficial  education  might  be 
acquired,  while  the  mind  of  the  pupil  would  become 
poisoned  against  the  influence  of  home  and  the 
17* 


394  Western   Cavaliers. 

teachings  of  Christianity.  The  Kentucky  Confer- 
ence felt  the  dangerous  tendency  in  this  direction, 
and,  not  only  by  resolutions  adopted  on  the  floor  of 
the  house,  but  by  active  efforts  during  the  year,  did 
all  that  it  could  to  arrest  the  evil. 

The  most  of  the  session,  previous  to  the  Sabbath, 
was  occupied  in  the  examination  of  the  character  of 
the  preachers  and  in  considering  the  recommenda- 
tions of  local  preachers  to  deacons'  orders,  and  of 
local  deacons  to  elders'  orders. 

On  Monday  morning  an  interesting  report,  in 
reference  to  the  Preachers'  Aid  Society,  was  sub- 
mitted by  the  committee  appointed  for  that  purpose, 
in  which  they  say:  "The  object  of  this  Society  is 
one  of  vast  and  incalculable  importance.  It  is  to 
provide  an  assurance,  a  well-grounded  confidence, 
that  after  the  faithful  minister  has  become  oppressed 
with  infirmities  in  the  service  of  the  Church,  and 
has  retired  from  effective  labor,  he  shall  still  be 
cheered  by  the  gratitude  of  the  Church,  and  find  a 
solace  and  support  in  some  permanent  provision 
made  for  his  wants.  All  support,  as  yet  provided, 
is  insufficient  and  too  precarious;  and,  humanely 
speaking,  cheerless  indeed  must  be  the  prospect 
of  our  ministers  if,  after  decrepitude,  infirmity,  and 
pain  have  come  upon  them  as  the  results  of  their 
laborious  services  in  the  Church,  there  is  no  sure 
relief,  no  certain  and  permanent  provision  for  their 
wants,  in  the  gloomiest  condition  of  their  existence. 
It  must  be  seen  that  although  the  Society  organized 
may  afford  some  relief,  it  is  only  partial  and  entirely 
inadequate;  and  there  are  two  difficulties  connected 


Western    Cavaliers.  395 

with  this  very  relief:  one  is  that,  in  many  instances, 

it  is  obtained  from  those  who  themselves  are  in 
want,  and  who  in  their  generosity  contributed  the 
only  money  upon  which  they  relied  to  bear  their 
expenses  to  their  appointments;  the  other  is  the 
impression  that  the  Preachers'  Aid  Society  having 
been  established,  the  Church  may  in  some  measure 
withhold  its  customary  aid,  not  to  say  that  some  of 
the  preachers  may  become  somewhat  careless  in  lift- 
ing contributions;  and  thus,  in  all  probability,  we 
may  forfeit  as  much  as,  or  even  more  than,  we  gain 
by  the  organization.  The  committee  have  therefore 
concluded  that  if  a  fund  be  relied  upon,  our  surest 
method  is  the  appointment  of  a  special  agent,  whose 
work  shall  be  to  collect  a  sufficient  amount,  the  in- 
terest of  which,  when  safely  invested,  shall  relieve 
this  portion  of  our  wants  and  this  source  of  our 
constant  anxiety.  Your  committee  do,  therefore, 
recommend  an  agent  for  this  special  object." 

This  report  was  adopted. 

The  conception  of  a  Society  for  the  purpose  of 
aiding  in  the  support  of  superannuated  preachers, 
and  the  widows  and  orphans  of  deceased  preachers, 
was  a  noble  one.  Ministers  with  families  were  often 
induced  to  retire  from  the  pastoral  work  that  they 
might  provide  against  the  infirmities  of  age,  while 
others,  continuing  at  their  posts,  suffered  from  un- 
pleasant misgivings  in  reference  to  the  evening-time 
of  life.  Although  the  Preachers'  Aid  Society  in 
Kentucky  failed  to  accomplish  what  was  intended 
and  what  was  anticipated,  yet  it  left  its  benedictions 
on  the  Church. 


396  Western   Cavaliers. 

The  following  important  resolution,  offered  by 
Thomas  !N".  Ralston  and  John  Christian  Harrison, 
was  adopted : 

"Resolved,  That  it  shall  be  the  duty  of  each  mem- 
ber of  the  Conference  to  furnish  the  Secretary,  to- 
morrow morning,  a  written  statement,  over  his  own 
signature,  of  the  elate  of  his  birth,  conversion,  ad- 
mission on  trial,  and  of  his  admission  into  full  con- 
nection; and  that  the  Secretary  read  the  same,  and 
arrange  the  order  of  names  in  the  Conference-list 
so  as  to  give  precedence  to  seniority  in  full  connec- 
tion." 

At  this  very  Conference  three  preachers  were  re- 
ported as  having  died  during  the  year,  two  of  whom 
left  no  record  as  to  the  date  of  either  their  birth  or 
conversion.  The  want  of  this  information  pre- 
vented the  preparation  of  a  suitable  memoir,  and 
hence  the  introduction  of  the  resolution. 

On  Tuesday  morning,  at  ten  o'clock,  the  Confer- 
ence adjourned  to  hear  the  address  on  Education, 
which  was  delivered  by  Thomas  1ST.  Ralston. 

Business  was  resumed  at  the  close  of  the  address, 
when  the  following  resolution  was  offered  by  Isaac 
Collard  and  Benjamin  T.  Crouch,  and  adopted  by 
the  Conference: 

"Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  this  Conference  are 
due  to  Thomas  N.  Ralston  for  his  address  on  Edu- 
cation, and  that  we  request  him  to  furnish  a  copy  to 
the  Book  Agents,  to  be  published  in  the  Western 
Christian  Advocate." 

The  committee  to  whom  were  referred  the  reso- 
lutions on   the  subject  of  ministerial  qualification, 


Western    Cavaliers.  397 

to  which  we  have  already  alluded,  submitted  the 
following: 

"Resolved,  by  the  Kentucky  Conference,  That  the 
Trustees  of  Augusta  College  be,  and  they  are  hereby, 
respectfully  requested  to  devise  and  adopt  such  ways 
and  means  as,  in  their  judgment,  may  be  deemed 
most  proper  for  the  procurement  of  a  permanent 
fund,  the  annual  proceeds  of  which  shall  be  applied 
to  the  defraying  of  the  boarding  expenses  of  such 
candidates  for  admission  on  trial  into  the  Kentucky 
Conference,  and  such  sons  of  the  itinerant  ministers 
of  the  Conference  above  named,  as  may  be  recom- 
mended to  the  College  by  the  aforesaid  Conference: 
provided,  nevertheless,  that  a  plan  embracing  these 
desirable  objects,  now  in  the  hands  of  a  standing 
committee,  shall  ultimately  receive  the  sanction  of 
the  body  above  named." 

John  H.  Linn  offered  the  following  resolution, 
which  was  adopted: 

"Resolved,  That  the  Rev.  H.  B.  Baseoni  be,  and 
he  is  hereby,  respectfully  requested  to  deliver,  at 
the  next  session  of  the  Kentucky  Annual  Confer- 
ence, to  be  held  at  Lexington,  a  series  of  lectures 
on  Infidelity,  at  such  times  during  the  session  as 
may  suit  his  convenience." 

A  resolution  signed  by  Henry  B.  Bascom  and 
Benjamin  T.  Crouch,  in  reference  to  colonization, 
was  offered  and  adopted.     It  reads  as  follows: 

"Resolved,  by  the  Kentucky  Annual  Conference,  in 
Conference  assembled,  That,  amid  the  varied  and  pro- 
tracted discussion  of  the  subject,  we  continue  to 
cherish  undiminished  confidence  in  the  wisdom,  be- 


398  Western   Cavaliers. 

nevolence,  and  promise  of  African  colonization,  as 
projected  and  in  course  of  accomplishment  by  the 
American  Colonization  Society." 

Burr  II.  McCowd  and  Thomas  X.  Ralston  had 
been  appointed  a  committee  in  reference  to  the  pub- 
lication of  a  book  of  memoirs,  containing  an  account 
of  the  birth,  conversion,  ministerial  labors,  and  death 
of  members  of  the  Conference.  On  Wednesday 
morning,  the  22d,  they  made  the  following  report, 
which  was  accepted: 

"Inasmuch  as  the  most  important  and  interesting 
facts  connected  with  the  history  of  any  people  are 
as  fading  as  the  perishing  forms  of  men,  without 
transmission  by  immortal  letters;  and  whereas,  the 
history  of  the  rise  and  progress  of  Methodism  in 
Kentucky  and  the  biographies  of  those  holy  and 
faithful  men  engaged  in  this  great  and  glorious 
work  are  not  before  our  Church  in  this  State,  in 
any  distinct  work;  and  it  is  considered  exceedingly 
desirable  to  embody  the  history  of  Methodism,  thus 
far  and  hereafter  among  us,  with  its  most  interest- 
ing facts  and  the  biography  of  its  most  faithful 
servants,  in  a  work  particularly  devoted  to  this 
special  object;  therefore, 

"Be  it  resolved,  by  the  Kentucky  Annual  Conference, 

That  a  committee  of be  appointed,  to  prepare 

materials  for  a  work,  to  be  entitled ,  which 

sliall  contain  a  clear  and  satisfactory  account  of  the 
rise  and  progress  of  Methodism  in  this  State,  and  a 
brief  biography,  preceded  with  engraved  likenesses 
of  the  ministers  of  this  Conference  most  distin- 
guished for  their  zeal,  faithfulness,  and  success  in 


Western   Cavaliers.  399 

the  work  of  God,  which  selection  shall  be  made  by  a 
committee,  or  by  a  vote  of  the  Conference. 

"And  be  it  farther  resolved,  That  it  shall  be  made 
the  duty  of  the  same  committee  to  procure  such  a 
subscription  as  will  amply  justify  this  Conference 
in  authorizing  the  publication  of  the  said  work." 

It  was  farther  suggested  that  the  proceeds  of  the 
volume  be  appropriated  to  the  Preachers'  Aid  So- 
ciety. 

The  committee  to  provide  materials,  and  to  pre- 
pare the  work,  consisted  of  Burr  H.  McCown,  Hub- 
bard H.  Kavanaugh,  John  Tevis,  Edward  Stevenson, 
and  George  W.  Brush. 

Fifty-five  years  had  elapsed  since  James  Haw  and 
Benjamin  Ogclen  first  lifted  the  standard  of  the  cross 
in  Kentucky.  During  this  period  the  Church  had 
grown  from  a  few  scattered  members  to  more  than 
forty  thousand  communicants.  Of  all  those  who 
had  confronted  danger  and  encountered  hardships  in 
unfurling  the  crimsoned  banner  on  the  once  "dark 
and  bloody  ground,"  but  few  remained.  Their 
deeds  of  chivalry  and  noble  daring,  too,  were  pass- 
ing rapidly  into  oblivion.  To  collect  the  scattered 
fragments  of  their  lives  and  labors,  and  embody 
them  in  permanent  form,  that  future  generations 
might  know  how  much  it  cost,  of  toil,  and  sacrifice, 
and  suffering,  to  plant  the  standard  of  Christianity 
in  the  wilds  of  the  West,  was  a  grand  and  noble 
conception.  It  is  to  be  regretted,  however,  that  the 
volume  never  appeared,  that  only  a  few  scanty  ma- 
terials were  collected  and  preserved,  and  that  so 
much   of  the  early  history  of  Methodism  in  the 


400  Western   Cavaliers. 

West,  in  which  there  would  have  been  so  many  in- 
cidents to  interest  and  animate  the  Church  in  after 
a^es,  was  thus  lost  forever. 

It  was  announced  on  the  floor  of  the  Conference, 
on  the  afternoon  of  Wednesday,  the  22d,  by  Dr. 
Bascom,  that  propositions  had  been  received  by  him 
from  a  certain  corporation,  which  he  desired. should 
be  referred  to  a  special  committee  of  three.  The 
committee,  as  appointed  by  the  President,  was  com- 
posed  of  Henry  B.  Bascom,  Benjamin  T.  Crouch, 
and  Hubbard  H.  Kavanaugh.  Joseph  S.  Tomlinson 
and  Thomas  N.  Ralston  were  subsequently  added  to 
the  committee. 

On  Thursday,  the  23d,  the  following  report  was 
submitted,  and  unanimously  adopted  by  a  rising 
vote: 

"  The  Trustees  of  Transylvania  University  having 
tendered  the  control  and  management  of  said  Uni- 
versity to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  by  the 
adoption  of  the  following  resolutions,  bearing  date 
September  21,  1841: 

"  'Resolved,  That  a  tender  of  the  control  of  Tran- 
sylvania University,  so  far  as  the  nomination  of  the 
Faculty  in  the  College  proper,  the  Principal  of  the 
Preparatory  Department,  together  with  the  direc- 
tion of  the  course  of  studies  and  internal  govern- 
ment of  said  College,  is  concerned,  be,  and  the  same 
is  hereby,  made  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
in  the  United  States,  and  especially  to  said  Church 
in  Kentucky,  upon  such  terms  as  shall  be  agreed 
upon  between  said  Church  and  this  Board. 

"  'Resolved,   That  S.  Chipley  be  a  committee  to 


Western   Cavaliers.  401 

confer  with  the  Kentucky  Conference  on  the  sub- 
ject of  the  above  institution. 

(Signed.)  "<M.  C.  Johnson, 

"'Chairman  Board  T.  T.  U. 

"'Attest:  D.  S.  Vigers,  Sec.  Board  T.  T.  W 

"The  special  committee,  to  whom  was  referred 
the  foregoing  resolutions  to  consider  and  report 
upon,  recommend  the  following  resolutions,  by  the 
Kentucky  Conference,  in  Conference  assembled: 

"Resolved,  by  the  Kentucky  Annual  Conference, 
That,  in  behalf  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
we  will  accept  the  proposition  of  the  Trustees  of 
Transylvania  University,  on  the  following  condi- 
tions: 

"First.  The  Board  of  Trustees  of  Transylvania 
University  and  the  Church  will  unite  to  obtain  any 
enactment  of  the  Legislature  that  may  be  necessary 
in  carrying  out  the  design  of  the  parties  in  the  re- 
organization of  said  institution,  as  well  as  to  give  to 
the  Church,  through  her  constituted  authorities,  the 
right  of  electing  three  additional  Trustees  possess- 
ing the  same  powers  possessed  by  other  Trustees  of 
Transylvania  University. 

"Second.  The  entire  Faculty,  as  also  the  teachers 
in  the  Preparatory  Department,  in  the  reorganiza- 
tion of  the  University,  as  contemplated  in  the  prem- 
ises, shall  be  nominated  by  the  Church,  through 
her  constituted  authorities,  and  confirmed  by  the 
Trustees;  and  thereafter,  when  any  of  the  chairs 
become  vacated,  by  death  or  otherwise,  the  remain- 
ing members  of  the  Facultv  shall  nominate,  and  the 
Trustees  confirm,  in  order  to  fill  such  vacancy. 


402  Western   Cavaliers. 

"Third.  The  control  of  the  Collegiate  and  Pre- 
paratory Departments,  the  internal  regulation  of  the 
College,  the  direction  of  the  course  of  studies,  the 
management  of  the  Dormitory  and  Boarding-house, 
the  superintendence  and  care  of  the  buildings  and 
grounds  belonging  to  the  University,  shall  be  given 
to  the  Faculty. 

"Fourth.  The  income  arising  from  all  the  perma- 
nent funds  now  belonging  to  the  University,  and  the 
income  arising  from  all  the  College-funds  now  be- 
longing to,  or  which  may  hereafter  be  raised  by, 
said  Church  in  Kentucky,  as  also  the  tuition  fees, 
shall  be  appropriated  for  the  support  of  the  Faculty 
and  teachers  in  the  Preparatory  Department,  and 
for  such  incidental  expenses  as  may  be  necessary  to 
sustain  such  institution,  when  recommended  by  the 
Faculty;  but  the  capital,  etc.,  shall  remain  the  sep- 
arate property  of  the  respective  parties,  each  party 
controlling  its  separate  interests. 

"Fifth.  It  is  expressly  understood  that  the  Church 
is  not  required  to  meet  any  of  the  present  liabilities 
of  said  University. 

"Sixth.  The  Kentucky  Annual  Conference  shall, 
at  each  session,  appoint  a  committee,  whose  duty  it 
shall  be  to  visit  said  institution,  and  report  to  the 
ensuing  Conference  its  condition  and  prosperity, 
which  report  shall  be  disposed  of  by  the  Conference 
in  such  manner  as  they  may  think  will  best  promote 
the  interests  of  said  institution,  by  publication  or 
otherwise.  # 

"Seventh.  The  Trustees  shall  at  all  times  fix  the 
salaries  of  the  Professors:  provided  that  the  salaries 


Western   Cavaliers.  403 

shall  not  be  less  than  is  usually  paid  in  similar  in- 
stitutions, unless  at  the  instance  of  the  Faculty. 

"Eighth.  The  arrangements  to  carry  out  and  com- 
plete the  contemplated  reorganization  of  said  Uni- 
versity, by  the  nomination  and  appointment  of  an 
able  Faculty,  teachers,  etc.,  must  be  consummated 
by  the  end  of  the  next  collegiate  year  of  said  Uni- 
versity, which  will  be  in  the  autumn  of  1842.  In  the 
meantime,  should  any  of  the  chairs  in  said  institu- 
tion be  vacated,  and  should  it  be  thought  necessary 
and  be  required  by  the  Trustees,  the  Church,  by  her 
authorities,  will  endeavor  to  make  suitable  nomina- 
tions for  pro  tern,  appointments  to  fill  such  vacancies. 

"Ninth.  Resolved,  That  the  Conference  will,  by  a 
committee  to  be  raised  for  that  purpose,  endeavor,  as 
speedily  as  practicable,  to  get  the  Board  of  Com- 
missioners appointed  by  the  late  General  Conference 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  the  United 
States  to  take  favorable  action  upon  the  subject, 
and  to  report  the  same  to  the  next  General  Confer- 
ence, in  order  to  obtain,  as  far  as  possible,  the  influ- 
ence and  patronage  of  said  General  Conference  in 
favor  of  said  University. 

(Signed.)  "H.  B.  Bascom, 

"B.  T.  Crouch, 
"H.  H.  Kavanaugh, 
"  T.  K  Ralston." 

Thomas  jN".  Ralston  presented  the  following  reso- 
lution, which  was  adopted: 

"Whereas,  we,  as  a  Church,  are  now  in  negotia- 
tion with  the  Trustees  of  Transylvania  UnivershVv, . 
in  view  of  effecting  a  reorganization  of  the  same, 


404  Western    Cavaliers. 

and  having  submitted  the  terms  upon  which  we  will 
accept  the  control  of  said  institution ;  and  inasmuch 
as  it  may  be  necessary  for  the  consummation  of  this 
desirable  object  that  farther  negotiations  with  the 
Trustees  be  had;  therefore, 

"Resolved,  That  H.  B.  Bascom,  B.  T.  Crouch,  and 
H.  II.  Kavanaugh,  be,  and  they  are  hereby,  appointed 
a  committee  to  carry  out  the  views  as  expressed  by 
this  Conference,  with  power  to  do  any  other  act 
that  they  may  think  will  best  promote  the  interest 
of  the  Church." 

As  early  as  1790  the  Methodist  Church  in  Ken- 
tucky "fixed  a  plan  for  a  school,  and  called  it  Bethel, 
and  obtained  a  subscription  of  upward  of  three 
hundred  pounds  in  land  and  money  toward  its  estab- 
lishment." In  the  important  interest  of  education 
they  were  in  advance  of  any  other  denomination  in 
the  State.  Bethel  Academy  was  located  in  Jessa- 
mine county,  and  stood  on  a  high  bluff  on  the  Ken- 
tucky River.  Notwithstanding  our  fathers  failed 
in  their  efforts  to  sustain  the  Bethel  Academy,  yet 
the  good  this  infant  institution  accomplished  can 
scarcely  be  estimated.  Their  noble  efforts  were 
worthy  of  all  praise. 

The  next  attempt  to  establish  an  institution  of 
learning  was  made  in  1821.  The  project  originated 
with  the  Ohio  Conference,  from  which  a  committee 
was  appointed  to  attend  the  Kentucky  Conference, 
and  propose  the  establishment  of  a  college  in  the 
West,  under  the  joint  patronage  of  the  two  Confer- 
ences. The  proposition  of  the  Ohio  Conference  was 
received  with  favor  by  the  Kentucky  Conference, 


Western    Cavaliers.  405 

and  a  committee  was  appointed  to  confer  with  the 
committee  from  Ohio,  and  to  take  such  measures  as 
might  be  deemed  proper  to  accomplish  the  contem- 
plated object. 

On  the  15th  of  the  following  December  the  Com- 
missioners visited  Augusta,  Kentucky,  and  held  a 
conference  with  the  Trustees  of  Bracken  Academy, 
and  laid  before  them  the  object  of  their  appoint- 
ment, and  informed  them  that  they  had  decided  to 
locate  the  college  in  Augusta,  provided  they  should 
receive  proper  aid  from  the  Trustees  of  the  Acad- 
emy and  the  citizens  in  building  a  college-edifice. 
The  proposition  made  by  the  Commissioners  was 
accepted,  and  the  college  was  chartered  by  the  Leg- 
islature of  Kentucky,  December  22,  1822,  and  was 
soon  in  successful  operation,  under  the  presidency 
of  John  P.  Finley. 

For  many  years  the  Augusta  College  was  a  bril- 
liant success.  Its  halls  were  crowded  with  young 
men  destined  to  occupy  a  commanding  eminence  in 
the  higher  circles  of  life.  Some  of  the  first  intel- 
lects of  the  age  presided  over  its  fortunes,  and  many 
of  the  brightest  lights  in  the  medical  profession,  at 
the  bar,  and  in  the  pulpit,  claimed  Augusta  College 
as  their  alma  mater.  Circumstances,  however,  for 
which  the  Kentucky  Conference  was  not  responsi- 
ble, and  over  which  it  had  no  control,  broke  the 
power  of  this  once  popular  institution.  The  agi- 
tation of  the  questions  of  slavery  and  abolition  ex- 
erted an  influence  for  harm  upon  its  fortunes  that 
no  Faculty,  however  learned,  could  counteract.  The 
Ohio  Conference  practically  withdrew  its  patronage, 


406  Western    Cavaliers. 

because  of  its  location  in  a  slave-holding  State,  while 
the  South,  from  whence  a  large  proportion  of  its 
support  had  been  received,  declined  to  send  her  sons 
so  near  the  border,  or  to  have  them  educated  in  the 
same  school  with  young  men  who  held  views,  and 
so  openly  advocated  them,  adverse  to  an  institution 
that  was  peculiarly  Southern. 

Before  the  proposition  made  by  the  Trustees  of 
Transylvania  University,  the  location  of  the  college 
at  Augusta  was  the  subject  of  comment  in  Meth- 
odist circles  throughout  the  State,  and  the  opinion 
was  commonly  expressed  that  a  removal  to  some 
more  eligible  point  was  requisite,  if  the  Church  de- 
sired to  sustain  an  institution  of  learning  of  high 
grade.  The  proposition,  therefore,  to  turn  over 
Transylvania  University  to  the  Conference  could 
not  be  deemed  otherwise  than  opportune  for  the 
Church. 

On  Wednesday  evening,  September  22,  Hubbard 
H.  Kavanaugh  and  Benjamin  T.  Crouch  offered  the 
following  resolutions,  which  were  adopted : 

"1.  Resolved,  That,  in  the  judgment  of  this  Con- 
ference, the  objects  of  the  American  Bible  Society 
are  of  unspeakable  importance  to  our  own  nation 
and  to  many  other  and  large  portions  of  the  world, 
and  that  we  feel  it  to  be  our  Christian  duty  cordially 
to  cooperate  with  the  Western  Agent,  or  Agents, 
who  may  call  upon  us,  in  carrying  out  the  designs  of 
the  Society. 

"  2.  Resolved,  That  we  regard  the  recent  appoint- 
ment of  the  Rev.  E.  W.  Sehon,  of  the  Ohio  Con- 
ference, as  General  Agent  of  the  American  Bible 


Western    Cavaliers.  407 

Society  in  the  West  as  promising;  much  to  the  sa- 
cred cause,  and  that  we  anticipate  with  pleasure  his 
visits  to  our  State  in  his  official  capacity,  and  trust 
that  he  may  have  the  success  that  the  importance  of 
his  agency  deserves." 

For  several  years  Edmund  W.  Sehon  had  been 
prominent  before  the  Church  and  the  country  as  a 
preacher  of  the  gospel.  He  was  born  in  Moorefield, 
Virginia,  April  14,  1808,  and  was  converted  and 
joined  the  M.  E.  Church  September  20,  1824,  at  a 
camp-meeting  near  Clarksburg,  Virginia.  He  was 
licensed  to  preach  October  10,  1827,  by  William 
Stephens. 

In  1828  he  offered  himself  to  the  Pittsburgh  Con- 
ference, which  included  in  its  territory  that  portion 
of  Virginia  in  which  he  was  born  and  brought  up, 
and  was  accepted.  Belonging  to  one  of  the  best 
families  in  the  State  of  Virginia,  of  fine  personal 
appearance,  with  a  mind  highly  cultivated,  his  man- 
ners polished,  and  distinguished  for  his  eloquence, 
his  burning  zeal,  his  fervent  piety,  and  his  devotion 
to  the  cause  of  Christ,  he  promised  great  usefulness 
in  the  Church. 

At  the  time  he  entered  the  Pittsburgh  Conference 
Dr.  Bascom  was  President  of  Madison  College,  an 
institution  of  learning  in  the  bounds  of  that  Confer- 
ence. A  strong  attachment,  on  the  part  of  Dr.Bas- 
com,  was  formed  for  the  young  itinerant,  which,  on 
the  part  of  Air.  Sehon,  was  fully  reciprocated,  and 
which  grew  into  the  warmest  friendship  in  the  hearts 
of  both. 

Mr.  Sehon  was  appointed  to  Youngstown  Circuit, 


408  Western    Cavaliers. 

as  the  colleague  of  Billings  O.  Plumpton,  and  with 
Ira  Eddy  as  his  Presiding  Elder,  having  traveled  on 
the  Lewis  Circuit,  and  then  on  the  Redstone  Circuit, 
during  the  previous  year,  under  the  appointment  of 
the  Presiding  Elder.  His  next  appointment  was  to 
the  Monongahela  Circuit,  as  junior  preacher.  In 
1831  he  was  transferred  to  the  Ohio  Conference, 
and  appointed  to  the  city  of  Cincinnati,  where  he 
remained  two  years.  At  the  Conference  of  1832 
he  was  appointed  Agent  for  the  Colonization  So- 
ciety, in  which  position  he  remained  but  one  year. 
In  1833  he  was  transferred  to  the  Missouri  Con- 
ference, and  stationed  in  the  city  of  St.  Louis,  but 
at  the  close  of  the  year  returned  to  Ohio,  and  was 
stationed  in  the  city  of  Columbus,  where  he  re- 
mained for  two  years.  In  1836  we  again  find  him 
in  Cincinnati,  in  the  Western  Charge,  with  Cyrus 
Brooks  as  his  colleague,  and  the  following  year, 
with  David  Womack,  he  preaches  to  the  same  con- 
gregation. In  1838  he  was  Agent  for  Augusta  Col- 
lege, and  in  1839  was  returned  to  Cincinnati,  and 
appointed  to  the  Eastern  Charge,  where  he  remained 
two  years. 

During  the  thirteen  years  that  Mr.  Sehon  had 
spent  as  an  itinerant  preacher  he  labored  with  un- 
compromising zeal  and  with  extraordinary  success. 
Whether  he  bore  the  banner  of  the  cross,  stained 
wTith  Immanuel's  blood,  along  the  waters  of  the 
Monongahela,  or  proclaimed  its  hallowed  story  on 
the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  or  in  the  Queen  City 
of  the  West,  hundreds  sought  repose  and  safety  be- 
neath its  crimsoned  folds.     As  Agent  for  the  Col- 


W estern    Cavaliers.  409 

onizatioD  Society  and  for  Augusta  College,  he  had 
contributed  much  to  the  success  of  these  enterprises. 
Six  years  of  his  pastoral  life  had  beeu  spent  in  the 
city  of  Cincinnati,  where  crowded  audiences  waited 
upon  his  ministry,  and  hundreds,  through  his  in- 
strumentality, were  brought  into  the  Church  and 
converted  to  God. 

At  the  session  of  the  Ohio  Conference  of  1841  he 
received  the  appointment  of  General  Agent  of  the 
American  Bible  Society  for  the  West.  It  was  this 
appointment  that  elicited  the  action  of  the  Kentucky 
Conference  which  we  have  already  stated. 

At  this  Conference  twenty-three  preachers  were 
admitted  on  trial — viz. :  Samuel  P.  Cummins,  Garret 
Davis,  John  B.  Ewan,  Charles  B.  Parsons,  Munford 
Pelley,  Mitchell  Land,  James  N.  Temple,  Moses  M. 
Henkle,  William  M.  Humphrey,  William  Conway, 
William  Lasley,  James  J.  Williams,  Samuel  Glass- 
ford,  John  W.  Fields,  Josiali  Godbey,  Ransom  Lan- 
caster, William  H.  Kimberlin,  Charles  Duncan, 
Alexander  B.  Sollars,  Samuel  Kelly,  Ajax  II.  Trip- 
lett,  George  Riach,  and  Marcus  L.  King. 

Of  those  who  had  entered  the  Conference  the  pre- 
vious year  the  names  of  Henry  F.  Garey  and  William 
D.  Minga  disappear  from  the  list;  the  former  was 
discontinued  at  his  own  request,  and  the  latter  had 
crossed  over  the  last  river  and  entered  upon  eternal 
life. 

William  D.  Matting,  Calvin  W.  Lewis,  William  C. 
McMahan,  William  S.  Evans,  Joseph  G.  Ward,  and 
John  Beatty,  located. 

Absalom  Hunt,  Alexander  Robinson,  Henry  !NT. 
18 


410  Western    Cavaliers. 

Vandyke,  and  William  D.  Minga,  had  died  during 
the  year. 

John  H.  Linn,  by  a  resolution  of  the  Conference, 
was  requested  to  preach  a  sermon  in  memory  of 
Alexander  Robinson,  Henry  X.  Vandyke,  and  Wil- 
liam D.  Minga;  and  Jonathan  Stamper  to  preach  a 
sermon  in  memory  of  Absalom  Hunt. 

Absalom  Hunt  was  in  the  meridian  of  life  when 
he  enteix-d  the  itinerancy.  He  was  fortv-two  years 
of  age  when  his  name  first  appeared  on  the  Confer- 
ence-roll. After  traveling  eight  years  he  was  placed 
on  the  list  of  the  superannuated,  where  he  remained, 
with  the  exception  of  four  years,  when  he  sustained 
the  relation  of  supernumerary.  He  died  in  peace. 
February  21,  1841  * 

We  regret  that  we  have  no  record  of  the  date  of 
either  the  birth  or  conversion  of  Alexander  Robin- 
son. He  was  a  native  of  Kentucky,  and  was  con- 
verted at  a  camp-meeting  in  Washington  county. 
When  he  joined  the  Conference,  in  1834,  he  was  at 
the  noontide  of  life.  His  first  appointment  was  to 
the  Wayne  Circuit,  as  the  colleague  of  William  C. 
McMahan.  In  1835  he  was  sent,  with  Jesse  Sutton, 
to  the  Somerset  Circuit,  and  in  1836  to  the  Man- 
chester Mission.  On  this  last  field  of  labor  we  suc- 
ceeded him,  and  listened  with  pleasure  to  the  many 
tributes  paid  to  his  moral  worth  and  unyielding  de- 
votion to  the  Church.  Notwithstanding  his  feeble 
health,  he  performed  with  remarkable  promptness 
the  duties  of  this  rugged  and  laborious  charge,  and 

*A  sketch  of  Absalom  Hunt  may  be  found  in  the  "History 
of  Methodism  in  Kentucky,"  vol.  hi.,  pp.  346-352. 


Western    Cavaliers.  411 

was  the  honored  instrument  in  the  hands  of  God 
in  doing  much  good.  At  the  Conference  of  1837 
he  was  appointed  to  the  Mount  Vernon  Mission, 
with  Walter  Shearer  as  his  colleague,  where  his 
health  became  too  precarious  for  him  to  entertain  a 
thought  of  continuing  in  the  active  service.  In  the 
autumn  of  1838  he  was  placed  on  the  list  of  the 
superannuated,  from  which  he  was  never  removed 
until  called  from  labor  to  reward. 

As  a  preacher,  the  talents  of  Mr.  Robinson  were 
only  moderate;  but  his  fervent  piety  and  the  luster 
of  his  life,  together  with  the  exhortations  that  came 
warm  from  his  heart,  won  many  souls  to  Christ. 
His  end  was  peaceful. 

Among  the  young  men  of  promise  in  the  Meth- 
odist ministry  in  Kentucky,  with  whom  we  first 
became  acquainted,  we  mention  with  pleasure  the 
name  of  Henry  N.  Vandyke.  He  became  an  itin- 
erant preacher  in  1834,  and  was  sent  to  the  Burling- 
ton Circuit.  In  his  second  year  in  the  Conference 
he  was  appointed  to  Shelbyville  and  Brick  Chapel — 
one  of  the  most  important  charges  in  the  State — as 
the  colleague  of  Benjamin  T.  Crouch.  When  he 
came  to  Shelbyville  he  appeared  to  be  about  twenty- 
one  years  of  age,  and  his  appointment  met  with  the 
hearty  approval  of  the  Church.  It  was  here  that 
we  first  knew  him.  For  twelve  months  we  enjoyed 
his  companionship  almost  daily,  and  received  in- 
struction in  the  great  work  to  which  we  expected  to 
devote  our  life.  We  heard  the  gospel  from  his  lips, 
from  week  to  week,  and  never  tired  in  listening  to 
his  earnest  presentation  of  the  great  truths  set  forth 


412  Western   Cavaliers. 

in  the  Bible.  During  this  period  we  never  heard 
him  speak  unkindly  of  any  one,  nor  utter  a  single 
word  unbecoming  the  dignity  of  a  minister  of  Jesus 
Christ.  His  daily  walk  and  conversation  shed  a 
luster  on  the  profession  he  made,  while  in  his  pas- 
toral visits  among  the  people  he  served  he  left  behind 
him  the  savor  of  a  good  name.  Although  he  was 
not  brilliant  as  a  preacher,  yet  his  talents  were  of  a 
very  high  order.  He  was  a  close  thinker  and  an  un- 
tiring student,  and  prepared  his  sermons  with  much 
care,  and  delivered  them  with  great  fluency  and 
ease.  He  attracted  large  congregations  to  the  house 
of  God,  and  through  his  labors  and  zeal  many  were 
brought  to  Christ.  We  never  knew  a  better  man, 
nor  one  in  whose  life  were  more  fully  developed  all 
the  excellences  of  Christian  character,  nor  one'  who 
was  more  universally  beloved. 

While  stationed  in  Shelby ville  Mr.  Vandyke  was 
married  to  Miss  Marie  Louisa  Soule,  daughter  of 
Bishop  Soule,  who  was  at  the  time  a  teacher  in 
Science  Hill  Female  Academy. 

He  was  stationed  in  Mount  Sterling  in  1830,  in 
1837  in  Frankfort,  and  in  1838  in  Cynthiana,  In 
each  of  these  charges  he  maintained  the  high  repu- 
tation he  had  already  won,  and  gathered  into  the 
Church  many  souls,  who  should  deck  the  crown  of 
his  rejoicing  in  the  hereafter. 

From  the  time  that  Mr.  Vandyke  entered  the 
ministry  it  was  apprehended  that  his  strength  would 
not  be  equal  to  the  duties  of  the  office.  For  several 
years,  however,  he  met  its  responsibilities  and  per- 
formed its  Labors  with   no  indications  of  declining 


Western   Cavaliers.  413 

heal tli.  While  stationed  in  Cynthiana,  a  cough— the 
hectic  flush  upon  his  pale  cheek— told  quite  plainly 
that  consumption  had  marked  him  as  an  early  vic- 
tim. In  1839  he  was  appointed  to  Fourth-street, 
Louisville,  with  Thomas  K  Ralston  and  William 
Atherton,  but  was  expected  to  render  but  little,  if 
any,  service.  It  was  deemed .  advisable  that  he 
should  winter  in  New  Orleans.  He  continued  in 
Louisiana  during  the  year,  and  at  the  following 
Conference  was  placed  on  the  list  of  superannuated 
preachers.  Before  the  next  Conference  God  called 
him  home.    His  death-bed  scene  was  full  of  triumph. 

William  D.  Minga  had  just  entered  the  ministry, 
and  was  appointed  to  the  Wayne  Circuit,  His  edu- 
cational advantages  were  meager;  but  he  gave  great 
promise  of  usefulness  to  the  Church.  He,  too,  died 
with  harness  on.     His  end  was  triumphant. 

The  memorial-sermon  preached  by  Mr,  Linn  was 
remarkably  impressive.  He  gave  a  faithful  deline- 
ation of  the  lives  and  labors  of  these  holy  men,  and 
referred  in  touching  language  to  the  composure  with 
which  they  met  death,  and  the  triumph  with  which 
their  closing  hours  were  replete.  The  last  battle  was 
fought,  the  last  victory  was  won,  and  from  the  para- 
pets of  glory  they  were  looking  down  on  the  vast 
assembly  who  were  paying  a  tribute  of  respect  and 
love  to  their  memory.  He  read  a  letter  from  Mrs. 
Vandyke,  in  which  she  said,  referring  to  the  death 
of  her  husband,  "It  was  I  who  died,  not  Mr.  Van- 
dyke." 

The  sermon  preached  by  Mr.  Stamper,  on  the 
death  of  Absalom  Hunt,  was  such  as  might  have 


414  Western   Cavaliers. 

been  expected  by  all  wbo  knew  the  distinguished 
preacher.  A  brother  had  died;  a  comrade-in-arms 
had  fallen  at  his  post;  a  warrior  had  fought  the 
good  fight,  and  received  his  furlough;  a  Christian 
hero  had  conquered  his  last  foe,  and  was  wearing 
his  crown,  and  his  virtues  and  prowess  were  dis- 
played as  an  incentive  to  those  who  had  entered 
upon  the  labors  of  the  noble  dead. 

The  amount  collected  for  missions,  although  not 
so  large  as  had  been  reported  on  some  previous  oc- 
casions, greatly  exceeded  that  of  the  former  year: 
it  reached  the  sum  of  three  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  twenty-eight  dollars. 

Jonathan  Stamper  and  William  M.  Grubbs  were 
this  year  transferred  to  the  Illinois,  and  Henry  E. 
Pilch er  to  the  North  Ohio,  Conference. 

Mr.  Stamper  had  entered  the  itinerant  ministry  in 
1811,  and  had  for  thirty  years  been  a  faithful,  la- 
borious, and  useful  minister  of  Jesus  Christ.  In  the 
Church  in  Kentucky  he  occupied  a  commanding  em- 
inence, and  in  the  Conference  enjoyed  a  popularity 
that  could  be  claimed  by  but  few  men.  At  this  ses- 
sion of  the  Conference,  as  we  have  already  seen,  in 
the  absence  of  the  Bishop,  he  was  chosen  to  preside 
over  the  deliberations  of  the  body.  He  was  a  good 
and  true  man,  and  his  transfer  from  Kentucky  was 
greatly  regretted  by  both  the  ministry  and  member- 
ship of  the  Church.* 

William  M.  Grubbs  was  the  son-in-law  of  Mr. 
Stamper.     He  was  born  in  Franklin  county,  Ken- 

*A  sketch  of  Jonathan  Stamper  may  be  found  in  the  "His- 
tory of  Methodism  in  Kentucky." 


Western    Cavaliers.  415 

tucky,  October  25, 1815.  In  1820  his  father  removed 
to  Logan  county,  and  settled  near  Russellville.  In 
1830  he  left  his  father's  house  and  went  to  Russell- 
ville, where  he  was  employed  as  a  clerk  in  a  dry- 
goods  store.  Impressed  with  the  importance  of 
religion,  and  awakened  to  the  necessity  of  seeking 
it  at  once,  in  December,  1832,  under  the  ministry  of 
Henry  J.  Evans,  he  joined  the  Methodist  Church, 
and  sought  and  found  Christ  in  the  pardon  of  his 
sins. 

From  the  time  he  "tasted  the  good  word  of  God" 
he  believed  it  to  be  his  duty  to  preach  the  gospel. 
In  May,  1834,  he  was  licensed  to  exhort  by  Hooper 
Evans,  and  August  9,  of  the  same  year,  he  was 
licensed  to  preach  by  Isaac  Collard,  and  recom- 
mended to  the  Kentucky  Conference  for  admission 
on  trial. 

His  first  appointment  was  to  the  Lewis  Circuit, 
with  William  Cunditf  in  charge.  The  following 
year  he  was  sent,  as  junior  preacher,  to  the  Fleming 
Circuit,  with  Martin  L.  Eads.  In  1836  his  appoint- 
ment was  the  Germantown  Circuit,  with  Joseph 
Marsee.  In  1837  he  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
Salt  River  Circuit,  where  he  continued  two  years, 
and  the  following  two  }^ears  he  was  stationed  in 
Bardstown;  he  was  transferred  thence  to  the  Illi- 
nois Conference. 

The  following  letter  from  Mr.  Grubbs  will  be  read 
with  interest: 

"  The  revival  at  which  I  was  converted  and  joined 
the  Church  was  among  the  most  powerful  that  have 
ever  visited  the  old  Methodist  town  of  Russellville. 


416  Western    Cavaliers. 

It  began  at  the  close  of  a  quarterly-meeting  held  by 
the  Rev.  Isaac  Collard,  and  almost  swept  the  whole 
community.  Hundreds  were  converted  and  joined 
the  different  Churches;  hut  the  old  square  brick 
meeting-house,  with  its  heavy  galleries  and  old-fash- 
ioned appointments  —  the  work  of  Major  Bibb,  as 
he  was  then  called,  some  fifteen  years  before,  and 
located  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town — was  the  center 
of  influence,  and  shared  the  largest  harvest. 

"Though  reared  in  the  Baptist  faith,  I  readily 
entered  into  Methodist  doctrines  and  usages,  and 
received  baptism,  by  pouring,  at  the  old  altar  near 
which,  about  ten  days  before,  I  received  the  witness 
of  pardon  and  adoption.  I  shall  never  forget  the 
occasion  when  about  fifty  adults  knelt  and  received 
the  water  of  baptism  from  the  hands  of  Brother 
Evans.  It  more  nearly  filled  my  conception  of  the 
scenes  of  Pentecost  than  any  occasion  I  have  ever 
witnessed.  Several  were  so  filled  with  the  Spirit 
that  they  rejoiced  aloud,  and  went  through  the 
crowded  congregation  exhorting  their  unconverted 
friends  to  turn  to  Christ,  and  the  altar  was  speedily 
filled  with  penitents  crying  for  mercy.  It  was  a 
settler  with  me  as  to  the  better  mode  of  administer- 
ing that  ordinance. 

"My  first  four  appointments  filled  the  bill  of  old- 
fashioned  four-weeks'  circuits,  both  as  to  extent  of 
territory  and  number  of  appointments.  Lewis  Cir- 
cuit embraced  the  whole  of  Lewis  county,  with  por- 
tions of  Mason  and  Greenup,  reaching  from  within 
three  miles  of  Maysville  to  within  a  few  miles  of 
Portsmouth,  Ohio,  and  numbered  more  than  twenty 


Western   Cavaliers.  417 

preaching-places.  Fleming  Circuit  embraced  nearly 
all  of  Fleming  county.  Germantown  Circuit  took 
in  the  larger  part  of  Mason  county,  with  portions 
of  Bracken  and  Harrison;  while  Salt  River  Circuit 
embraced  Nelson  county,  with  portions  of  Bullitt, 
Hardin,  Marion,  and  Washington;  and  none  of 
them  numbered  less  than  twenty  appointments. 

"  My  first  colleague — the  Rev.  William  Cun cliff — 
was  a  holy  man,  of  great  zeal,  and  I  profited  much 
from  his  example  and  instructions.  He  was  of  sin- 
gular 'physique — a  short,  stout  frame,  with  ruddy 
face  and  bushy  head,  which  seemed  to  rest  squarely 
on  his  shoulders,  almost  without  neck.  He  has  long 
since  passed  from  labor  to  reward.  The  people  of 
that  circuit  were  kind  and  appreciative,  demonstra- 
tive in  their  religion,  and  we  had  a  good  year.  At 
our  last  quarterly-meeting  at  Concord,  while  Brother 
Tydings  Avas  preaching  on  Sunday,  I  had  a  violent 
chill,  sitting  behind  him  in  the  pulpit.  After  a  few 
days  of  severe  suffering  I  recovered  sufficiently  to 
reach  Mother  Pelham's  —  that  famous  preachers' 
home  —  three  miles  above  Maysville.  Here  I  re- 
lapsed, and  was  sick  for  some  two  weeks,  but  was 
able  to  meet  my  colleague  at  our  last  appointment, 
for  a  two-days'  meeting,  at  the  mouth  of  Cabin 
Creek.  I  submitted  to  his  request,  and  preached 
once  on  Sabbath;  had  another  chill,  and,  returning 
to  Mother  Pelham's  with  a  raging  fever,  received  a 
good  scolding  for  my  imprudence.  Under  the  kind 
nursing  of  that  good  family  I  was  soon  on  my  feet, 
and  started  for  the  Conference,  which  met  that  year 
(1835)  at  Shelbyville.  Lt  was  there  I  first  saw 
18* 


418  Western   Cavaliers. 

Bishop  Andrew,  and  subsequent  years  and  events 
only  served  to  increase  my  admiration  for  the  man 
and  the  Bishop.  Do  you  remember  Bishop  An- 
drew's sermon  on  '  Say  not  ye,  There  are  yet  four 
months,  and  then  cometh  harvest?'  and  how,  under 
his  powerful  appeals  and  touching  pathos,  our  old 
friend  (the  Rev.  E.  Stevenson)  sitting  in  the  altar 
became  so  excited  that  he  sprang  to  his  feet  and 
shouted  aloud,  and  Ave  all  wept  and  rejoiced  to- 
gether? It  was  there  we  heard  our  own  Bascom 
preach  the  funeral -sermon  of  the  Rev.  William 
Adams.  I  shall  never  forget  the  old  church,  with 
its  ascending  scats,  the  imperial  preacher,  his  grand 
sermon,  and  its  wonderful  effect  on  the  Conference 
and  crowded  audience. 

"  My  second  colleague — the  Rev.  M.  L.  Eads — was 
stout  in  person,  with  strong  voice  and  good  elocu- 
tion, and  was  regarded  as  an  able  and  sound  preacher. 
He  lived  in  Harrison  county,  a  day's  ride  from  his 
work,  and  because  of  poverty,  and  family-wants, 
and  small  pay,  was  subject  to  frequent  spells  of  'the 
blues.'  Several  strong  local  preachers  resided  then 
in  Fleming  Circuit,  and  it  was  a  great  embarrass- 
ment for  a.  timid  young  preacher  to  attempt  to 
preach  in  their  presence.  Among  them  Avere  the 
Rev.  B.  Xorthcott  and  the  Rev.  Joseph  D.  Farrow. 
At  Father  Hood's,  whose  only  child,  Farrow,  had 
married  after  ten  years  of  itinerancy,  I  found  a 
good  home  and  great  kindness  from  all.  Father 
Xorthcott  was  one  of  the  magistrates  of  his  county, 
and  as  his  court-days  in  his  neighborhood  occurred 
on  tin.1  Saturday  of  niv  appointment  at  old  Locust 


W  e  s t  e  UN    Cavaliers.  419 

Church,  he  was  seldom  present.  To  compensate, 
however,  he  had  me  preach  several  times  at  his 
house  at  night.  I  well  remember  an  exhortation 
he  gave  at  the  close  of  one  of  my  efforts  to  preach. 
His  voice  was  strong,  his  words  came  with  author- 
ity, and  his  neighbors,  to  whom  he  had  preached  for 
forty  years,  listened  as  though  they  were  hearing 
him  for  the  first  time.  He  had  appointments  of 
his  own  every  Sabbath,  and  he  preached  more  fune- 
ral-sermons, and  officiated  at  more  marriages,  than 
did  any  other  man  in  that  county.  He  was  a  man 
of  strong  will,  of  single  purpose  and  aim,  and, 
whether  presiding  in  the  County  Court  or  preaching 
to  hundreds,  he  stood  a  head  and  shoulders  above 
ordinary  men,  both  in  stature  and  influence  for 
good.  Though  grace  made  him  the  antipodes  of 
\Y~olsey,  in  all  the  essentials  of  moral  character  and 
intent,  yet  there  was  a  similarity  of  bearing — 

"Lofty  and  sour  to  them  that  loved  him  not, 
But,  to  those  men  that  sought  him,  sweet  as  summer. 

"My  third  colleague — the  Rev.  Joseph  Marsee — 
was  in  every  respect  a  model  man,  a  gentleman  by 
nature,  a  saint  by  grace,  and  an  effective,  sweet- 
spirited  gospel-preacher.  His  wife  was  the  niece  of 
the  Rev.  Marcus  Lindsey.  A  few  years  afterward  he 
removed  to  Indiana,  and,  after  filling  some  of  the 
best  appointments,  his  health  failed,  and  he  died,  in 
1837,  a  superannuate  of  the  South-eastern  Indiana 
Conference.  By  judicious  investments  he  became 
wealthy,  and  his. family  stand  among  the  prominent 
Methodists  of  Indianapolis.  We  had  a  good  year 
together,  with  two  glorious  revivals — one  at  Wash- 


420  Western    Cavaliers. 

ington,  the  old  county-seat  of  Mason,  in  the  winter, 
and  one  at  Salem  Church,  near  Grermantown,  in 
August.  The  Rev.  Hiram  Baker  was  then,  as  now, 
an  honored  local  preacher,  living  near  Shannon 
Meeting-house.  He  was  popular  with  the  people, 
and  magnified  his  office.  The  Rev.  James  Savage, 
of  great  wealth  and  marked  character,  was  'king' 
of  the  circuit.  He  was  rather  exacting  in  his  de- 
mands of  itinerants,  but  on  the  whole,  at  that  day, 
was  a  man  of  influence  and  usefulness.  I  always 
thought  he  took  a  fancy  to  me,  and  I  found  a  pleas- 
ant home  in  his  family,  at  German  town.  We  were 
greatly  aided  by  the  Faculty  of  Augusta  College. 
Bascom,  Trimble,  and  McCown,  were  magnates 
among  the  people,  and  the  two  latter,  especially, 
were  abundant  in  labors.  Dr.  Tomlinson  seldom 
came  into  the  country,  as  his  health  was  poor;  but 
he  was  in  high  reputation  as  a  preacher.  Dr.  Bas- 
com was  a  great  favorite  with  the  old  Methodist 
families,  who  had  known  him  from  a  boy.  I  well 
remember  a  visit  he  made  to  the  Bees  family,  and 
his  powerful  sermon  at  Shannon  Meeting-house,  on 
a  Sabbath  in  August,  1837.  On  Monday  morning 
Mother  Bees  accompanied  him  to  the  gate.  Her 
eyes  followed  him  as  he  paced  down  the  road,  on 
his  plump  pony,  and,  wiping  her  eyes  with  her 
apron,  she  remarked  to  me:  'I  always  loved  Henry 
Bascom.  Feople  say  he  is  proud;  but  I  know  bet- 
ter. He  is  not  above  anybody  that  will  behave  and 
do  right.  He  was  a  good  son  to  his  afflicted  parents, 
has  almost  beggared  himself  to  raise  and  educate  his 
brothers  and  sisters,  and  he  is  to-day  a  good  and  great 


Western    Cavaliers.  421 

man.'  A  eulogy,  that,  as  true  as  it  was  proper, 
from  one  who  had  known  him  all  his  life.  George 
"W.  Brush  was  stationed  that  year  in  Maysville,  and, 
as  he  had  traveled  our  circuit  a  few  years  before, 
his  frequent  visits  were  greatly  cherished  by  the 
people. 

"Salt  River  Circuit  contained  at  that  day  an  in- 
telligent and  influential  class  of  Methodists.  Such 
men  as  Barnabas  Mclienry,  Marcus  Lindsey,  John 
Fisk,  and  George  W.  Taylor,  had  left  their  stamp 
upon  the  people.  It  contained  within  its  bounds 
the  old  Ferguson  appointment — a  favorite  place  of 
rest  for  Bishops  Asbury  and  McKendree.  The  chief 
point  of  attraction  was  the  old  Beech  Fork  Camp- 
ground— an  annual  rallying-point  for  preachers  and 
people  from  about  the  year  1820.  I  attended  four 
camp-meetings  there  in  succession,  from  1838  to 
1841,  with  the  Rev.  Jonathan  Stamper  in  charge  as 
Presiding  Elder.  At  the  meetings  of  1838  and  1839 
the  people's  favorites,  Jonathan  Stamper  and  Hub- 
bard H.  Kavanaugh,  did  the  principal  preaching. 
As  these  great  camp-meeting  preachers  alternated 
from  day  to  day,  it  was  amusing  as  well  as  edifying 
to  hear  the  comments  and  commendations  of  the 
older  brethren.  Now  it  was  Stamper,  and  now 
Kavanaugh.  Both  were  up  to  the  mark  all  the  time. 
The  people  had  a  feast  of  nit  things,  while  they 
feasted  us  in  return,  in  Old  Kentucky  style.  As  it 
was  known  in  1841  that  Jonathan  Stamper,  who 
had  served  a  term  of  four  years  on  the  District,  was 
arranging  to  emigrate  to  Illinois,  the  people  were 
wronghl  up  to  the  highest  point  of  interest  and  so- 


422  Western    Cavaliers. 

licitude.  He  had  been  on  the  same  District  some 
fifteen  years  before,  and  the  thought  of  parting  was 

sad.  As  the  thousands  seemed  unwilling  that  any 
one  else  should  occupy  the  stand  at  the  popular 
hour,  he  preached  each  day  at  eleven  o'clock.  As 
you  know  what  he  was  in  his  prime,  when  fully 
harnessed  for  camp-meeting  work,  you  can  better 
imagine  than  I  can  describe  the  character  of  his 
daily  efforts  and  their  effect  upon  the  vast  audiences 
that  crowded  the  encampment.  As  I  write  I  see, 
in  my  mind's  eye,  the  noble  form  of  that  great  law- 
yer and  good  man,  Governor  Charles  A.  Wycliffe, 
as  he  appeared  on  that  Sunday — now  sitting,  and 
now,  through  excited  feeling,  standing  up  beside  a 
beech-tree,  within  a  few  feet  of  the  stand.  Hon. 
Ben.  Hardin,  who  never  failed  to  attend  our  meet- 
ings, and  was  always  a  Methodist  in  creed,  was  at 
the  outskirts  of  the  congregation  when  the  Sunday 
sermon  began,  but  at  its  close  he  was  close  up  to 
the  stand,  and  afterward,  in  his  emphatic  way.  de- 
clared that  an  angel  from  heaven  could  not  have 
excelled  the  effort  of  his  favorite  preacher.  If  the 
love  and  offers  of  help  from  old-time  friends  could 
have  kept  him  in  Kentucky,  he  had  never  left  the 
State.  One  brother  offered  to  deed  him  a  rich  farm 
of  two  hundred  acres  if  he  would  stay."' 

William  M.  Grubbs  was  quite  a  young  man  when 
we  first  saw  him;  it  was  at  the  close  of  his  second 
year  in  the  Conference.  He  visited  Shelbyville.  and 
on  Sabbath  evening  preached  to  a  crowded  audience, 
from  Luke  xxiv.  4(3,  47.  We  had  never  before  heard 
so  young  a  man  attempt  to  preach.     His  keen  black 


Western    Cavaliers.  423 

eye,  his  gentle  countenance,  his  earnest  manner,  and 
his  forcible  presentation  of  the  truth,  attracted  our 
attention  and  won  our  heart.  From  that  hour  we 
watched  his  progress  and  rejoiced  in  his  success, 
whether  the  fields  of  his  labor  were  in  Kentucky  or 
elsewhere. 

Henry  E.  Pilcher  entered  the  Ohio  Conference  in 
1829,  and  in  1837  was  transferred  to  the  Kentucky 
Conference.  His  appointments  were  the  Newport 
and  Covington  Station,  Shelby ville  Station,  and 
German  town  Circuit.  At  the  Conference  of  1840 
he  located,  but  was  readmitted  in  1841,  and  trans- 
ferred to  the  Worth  Ohio  Conference. 

For  several  years  the  Church  in  Kentucky  had 
steadily  advanced  in  influence  and  in  numerical 
strength.  Since  the  Conference  of  1837  an  increase 
in  the  membership  had  been  reported  annually; 
but  the  success  which  crowned  the  labors  of  the 
ministry  in  winning  souls  to  Christ,  during  the  year 
upon  which  the  Church  was  now  entering,  had  no 
parallel  in  the  records  of  the  past. 

The  Conference  closed  its  session  on  the  23d  of 
September,  and  only  a  few  days  elapsed  until  the 
preachers  were  at  the  posts  to  which  they  were  as- 
signed. Isaac  Collard,  John  James,  George  W. 
Taylor,  and  James  King,  were  returned  to  the  Dis- 
tricts over  which  they  had  presided  the  year  before. 
William  Gunn  was  appointed  to  the  Shelbyville 
District,  made  vacant  by  the  transfer  of  Mr.  Stamper 
to  Illinois.  Benjamin  T.  Crouch  was  placed  in 
charge  of  the  Lexington  District,  where  Mr.  Gunn 
had   been   the   leader;    and   Richard  Corwine   sue- 


424  Western   Cavaliers. 

ceeded  Mr.  Crouch  on  the  Louisville  District.  Rich- 
ard D.  Neale,  who  had  labored  so  faithfully  for  four 
years  on  the  Barboursville  District,  was  sent  to  the 
Hardinsburg  District — a  new  field,  just  formed — 
while  William  B.  Landrum  follows  him  amid  the 
mountain  fastnesses.  The  warm-hearted  Edward 
Stevenson  succeeds  Richard  Corwine  on  the  Hop- 
kin  sville  District. 

The  Church  in  Kentucky  has  but  seldom  fur- 
nished so  able  and  efficient  a  corps  of  Presiding 
Elders  as  those  we  have  just  named.  They  were 
preachers  of  marked  ability  and  burning  zeal,  and 
under  their  leadership  the  happiest  results  were  an- 
ticipated. 

During  the  winter  there  were  interesting  revivals 
of  religion  in  several  portions  of  the  State;  but  the 
grander  conquests  of  the  Church  were  to  be  seen 
and  realized  after  the  opening  of  the  spring. 

In  the  Augusta  District  there  was  a  net  increase 
of  six  hundred  and  forty  white  and  thirty-four  col- 
ored members.  The  Greenupsburg,  Germantown, 
Fleming,  Lewis,  Little  Sandy,  Highland,  and  Shan- 
non Circuits  were  all  refreshed  with  showers  of 
grace. 

On  the  23d  of  March*  Walter  Shearer  writes, 
from  the  Greenupsburg  Circuit,  that  "  sixty  or 
seventy"  persons  had  joined  the  Church;  and  he 
adds:  "The  work  is  still  going  on  and  spreading." 
Although  we  have  no  farther  announcement  in  ref- 
erence to  the  progress  of  the  work  from  the  faithful 
pastor,  yet  the  Minutes  show  a  net  increase  in  that 
^Western  Christian  Advocate,  April  22,  1842. 


Western   Cavaliers.  425 

charge  of  two  hundred  and  nine  white  and  twenty- 
seven  colored  members. 

Walter  Shearer  was  one  of  the  most  laborious 
preachers  in  the  Conference.  He  was  born  Septem- 
ber 12,  1813,  and  embraced  religion  in  1832.  At 
the  session  of  the  Kentucky  Conference  in  1837  he 
was  admitted  on  trial,  having  previously  traveled 
under  the  Presiding  Elder.  His  first  appointment, 
after  he  entered  the  Conference,  was  to  the  Mount 
Vernon  Mission,  as  the  colleague  of  Alexander 
Robertson.  In  1838  he  was  sent  to  the  Litchfield 
Mission,  and  in  1839  to  the  Little  Sandy  Circuit,  to 
which  he  was  returned  in  1840.  In  all  these  fields 
he  showed  himself  an  approved  workman,  and  won 
many  souls  to  Christ.  We  find  him  this  year  on 
the  Greenupsburg  Circuit,  prosecuting  his  work 
with  untiring  zeal  and  extraordinary  success. 

Jedidiah  Foster  had  charge  of  the  Flemingsburg 
Circuit,  with  William  D.  Trainer  as  his  colleague. 
Under  the  ministry  of  these  zealous  preachers  of 
the  gospel,  the  net  increase  in  this  circuit  was  one 
hundred  and  forty-four  white  and  twenty  colored 
members. 

In  the  Lewis  Circuit,  to  which  Allen  Sears  and 
William  H.  Kimberlin  were  sent,  there  was,  during 
the  year,  a  fine  religious  influence,  although  the  in- 
crease in  the  membership  was  small. 

The  untiring  William  C.  Atmore,  who  had  charge 
of  the  G-ermantown  Circuit,  was  greatly  blessed. 
Mr.  Atmore  was  born  at  Wednesburv,  England, 
December  G,  1800,  and  was  the  son  of  the  Rev. 
(Miarles   Atmore,   a  distinguished  preacher  in  the 


426  Western   Cavaliers. 

British  Conference.  In  a  letter  to  the  author,  Mr. 
Atmore  says: 

"He  who  setteth  the  solitary  in  families  caused 
my  lot  to  fall  in  a  godly  household.  The  restrain- 
ing grace  of  God  was  always  upon  and  before  me; 
but  in  private  prayer,  when  but  eight  years  of  age, 
my  heart  was  strangely  warmed,  and  I  made  a  cov- 
enant to  try  and  serve  God  fully.  I  was  baptized 
into  the  Church  when  an  infant,  and,  when  ten 
years  old,  ratified  the  act  of  my  parents  by  personal 
connection  with  the  Church,  under  the  ministry 
of  my  reverend  father.  When  eighteen  years  of 
age  I  was  licensed  to  preach  by  the  Quarterly  Con- 
ference, at  Salford,  in  Manchester,  and  in  1820  was 
recommended  to  the  British  Conference  by  the  Rev. 
Jabez  Bunting.  I  was  married,  Xovember  14, 1822, 
to  Miss  Mary  Wood,  of  Flixton,  near  Manchester, 
and  now  thank  God  for  a  union  of  near  fifty-four 
years  with  her.  In  1836  we  came,  with  our  three 
children,  to  America,  bringing  with  me  my  certifi- 
cate as  a  local  preacher,  from  the  Superintendent  of 
the  London  Westminster  District.  We  settled  at 
!N"ew  Richmond,  Clermont  county,  Ohio,  and  I  was 
recommended  by  the  Quarterly  Conference  of  that 
circuit  to  the  Kentucky  Conference,  and  received  by 
that  body,  at  Bardstown,  in  1840. 

"  My  father  was  born  at  Heasham,  a  village  on  the 
coast  of  Norfolk,  in  1759,  and  joined  the  Wesleyan 
Society,  under  Mr.  Pilmore,  in  1779.  In  1781  he 
was  received  by  John  Wesley,  and  appointed  to  the 
Grimsby  Circuit,  in  Lincolnshire.  On  December  11, 
1825,  lie  preached  his  last  sermon  at  Hackney,  near 


Western   Cavaliers.  427 

London,  and  on  the  1st  of  July,  1826,  he  entered 
the  paradise  of  God,  in  the  sixty-seventh  year  of 
his  age  and  the  forty-fifth  of  his  ministry. 

"The  light  of  my  household  God  hath  put  out, 
and  the  few  years  I  may  remain  from  her  I  shall 
spend  in  the  family  of  my  dear  son,  praying  that  I 
may  lead  them  and  myself,  by  God's  grace,  to  lay  up 
treasure  in  heaven." 

When  Mr.  Atmore  came  to  Kentucky  he  was  a 
preacher  of  much  experience  and  decided  ability. 
The  Kentucky  Conference  received  him  gladly  as  a 
fellow-laborer  in  the  Master's  vineyard.  His  first 
appointment  was  to  the  Falmouth  Circuit,  where 
his  ministry  was  owned  of  God  in  the  salvation  of 
souls.  In  1841  he  was  appointed  to  the  German- 
town  Circuit,  where  we  have  already  met  him.  In 
this  charge,  as  in  the  Falmouth  Circuit,  many  were 
brought  to  Christ  through  his  instrumentality.  As  a 
preacher  he  was  clear  and  forcible.  He  understood 
the  doctrines  of  the  Bible,  and  defended  them  with 
signal  ability.  He  was  familiar  with  the  practical 
duties  of  Christianity,  and  by  precept  and  example 
enforced  them  on  the  people  he  served.  Blessed 
with  a  sound  experience,  he  made  no  compromise 
either  with  sin  or  a  formal  Christianity,  but  every- 
where urged  the  Pauline — the  Wesleyan — doctrine 
of  the  witness  of  the  Spirit.  Such  was  William  C. 
Atmore  when  we  first  knew  him.  His  excellent 
wife,  to  whom  he  makes  such  a  beautiful  and  touch- 
ing allusion  in  the  letter  we  have  quoted,  was  well 
worthy  the  place  she  occupied  in  the  Church.  We 
knew  her  well.     Devoted  to  the  Church,  she  will- 


428  Western   Cavaliers. 

ingly  confronted  any  difficulty  and  submitted  to  any 
sacrifice  to  advance  the  cause  of  the  Redeemer.  No 
better,  no  purer  woman  than  Mrs.  Mary  Atmore* 
ever  lived. 

The  Little  Sandy  Circuit  shared,  to  some  extent, 
the  religious  influence  with  which  the  Augusta  Dis- 
trict was  visited.  At  the  second  quarterly-meeting 
the  pastor  was  assisted  by  Walter  Shearer  and  sev- 
eral local  preachers,  under  whose  ministry  a  revival 
commenced,  which  continued  during  the  remainder 
of  the  year,  and  in  which  many  were  brought  to 
Christ.  At  the  same  time  John  P.  Vance,  a  pious 
but  eccentric  preacher,  was  eminently  useful  in  the 
Highland  Circuit. 

William  M.  Crawford  traveled  this  year  on  the 
Shannon  Circuit.  He  was  born  in  Scott  county, 
Kentucky,  February  7,  1811.  Although  blessed 
with  one  of  the  best  of  mothers,  he  utterly  disre- 
garded her  example  and  instructions  until  he  had 
attained  his  majority.  Participating  in  all  the  pop- 
ular vices  of  the  day,  he  wandered  far  from  home 
and  from  God.  Wherever  he  went  he  was  followed 
by  the  Holy  Spirit,  while  thoughts  of  home — his 
mother's  prayers,  to  which  he  had  so  often  listened, 
and  her  warm  tears,  with  which  his  face  had  been 
baptized — rushing  upon  his  memory,  would  make 
him  resolve  upon  a  better  life.  Again  and  again  he 
formed  the  purpose  to  repent  of  his  sins  and  re- 
turn to  God,  but  again  and  again  the  siren  voice  of 
the  tempter  would  efface  his  resolutions  and  lead 

■■Mrs.  Atraore  died,  in  great  peace,  on  the  17th  of  May, 
1875,  in  La  Grange,  Oldham  county,  Kentucky. 


Western   Cavaliers.  429 

him  still  farther  from  the  paths  of  virtue.  In  the 
spring  of  1834  he  was  powerfully  awakened  and 
happily  converted.  His  conversion  was  sound  and 
complete.  Not  a  doubt  entered  his  mind  as  to  his 
acceptance  with  God.  He  was  thoroughly  changed. 
Simultaneously  with  his  conversion  he  believed  that 
God  had  called  him  to  preach  the  gospel.  Counting 
the  cost,  he  resolved  to  enter  upon  the  work.  At  the 
Conference  of  1835  he  was  admitted  on  trial,  and 
appointed  to  the  Burlington  Circuit,  as  the  junior 
preacher.  Handsome  in  person,  his  manners  pol- 
ished, his  address  popular,  his  talents  of  a  high  order, 
and  with  a  zeal  burning  for  the  salvation  of  sinners, 
he  entered  upon  the  duties  of  his  high  and  holy 
office,  and  performed  the  work  assigned  him  with 
fidelity  and  success.  In  1836  he  was  sent  to  the  Har- 
dinsburg  Circuit,  as  the  colleague  of  Joseph  G.  Ward, 
where  he  brought  much  fruitage  to  the  Master. 
In  1837  he  was  appointed  to  the  Mount  Pleasant 
Mission,  in  the  mountainous  section  of  the  State. 
From  here  we  follow  him  to  Bardstown,  and  thence 
to  Columbia  Circuit.  In  1840  he  traveled  on  the 
Fleming  Circuit,  with  Henry  F.  Garey  as  his  col- 
league. In  all  these  fields  he  was  exceedingly  useful. 
His  appointment  to  the  Shannon  Circuit,  in  1841, 
was  gratifying  alike  to  himself  and  to  the  people. 
Several  months  elapsed,  however — indeed,  almost 
the  entire  year  passed  away — before  he  witnessed 
any  favorable  result  from  his  labors  in  that  charge. 
He  had  become  discouraged,  and  writes:  "The  first 
three  quarters  of  the  year  have  passed  away,  and 
almost  the  fourth,  and   only  thirty   persons   have 


430  Western    Cavaliers. 

joined  the  Church."  *  Grand  and  glorious  results, 
however,  were  in  reserve.  About  the  first  of  Au- 
gust God  visited  his  circuit  in  great  mercy.  At 
Mount  Tabor,  at  Two  Lick,  and  at  Shannon,  the 
work  prevailed,  and  one  hundred  and  eight  persons 
passed  from  death  unto  life,  and  nearly  that  number 
were  added  to  the  Church.  He  was  assisted  at 
Mount  Tabor  by  George  S.  Savage. 

In  the  Minerva  Circuit  equal  success  attended  the 
ministry  of  Gilby  Kelly  and  Lorenzo  D.  Harlan.  In 
Minerva,  in  Dover,  in  Augusta,  and  in  other  por- 
tions of  the  circuit,  the  religious  influence  was  felt, 
and  many  were  converted  and  added  to  the  Church. 

Although  the  Covington  District  does  not  record 
so  great  an  increase  as  the  Augusta  District,  yet, 
in  reviewing  the  Church  in  that  field,  we  find  much 
to  encourage  us. 

In  the  Covington  Station,  Andrew  J.  McLaughlin 
reported  an  increase  of  one  hundred  and  five  mem- 
bers. In  the  Sharpsburg  Circuit  an  increase  of 
fifty-five  white  and  five  colored  members  is  reported 
by  Lemuel  Veach.  In  the  Paris  and  Crittenden 
Circuits — the  former  under  the  faithful  ministry  of 
George  W.  Merritt,  and  the  latter  under  that  of 
Josiah  Whitaker — many  were  added  to  the  Church. 
At  a  meeting  held  at  Mount  Carmel  Church,  in  the 
Paris  Circuit,  commencing  August  13,  "several  were 
happily  converted  to  God,"  and  "  thirty-two  received 
on  probation." 

In  summing  up  the  work  in  the  Covington  Dis- 
trict, John  James,  the  Presiding  Elder,  writes :  "  I 
*  Western  Christian  Advocate,  September  16,  1842. 


Western   Cavaliers.  431 

may  safely  say  it  is  in  a  state  of  general  prosperity, 
and  in  some  portions  of  it  there  are  gracious  re- 
freshings. In  the  Crittenden  Circuit  there  is  a  glo- 
rious work;  forty-live  joined  on  probation  at  our 
last  quarterly-meeting,  and  we  left  the  work  on  the 
advance.  At  Covington  there  is  a  line  state  of 
things.  During  a  meeting  held  by  Brothers  Ham- 
line,  Tomlinson,  McCown,  and  others,  some  seven 
days  previous  to,  and  together  with,  the  quarterly- 
meeting,  twenty- six  joined  on  probation.  Coving- 
ton is  certainly  in  a  far  better  condition  than  I  have 
ever  known  it.  At  Newport  we  had  a  gracious 
meeting.  About  ten  or  twelve  persons  joined  on 
probation,  and  the  meeting  closed  most  happily. 
At  the  Alexandria  quarterly-meeting  we  had  a  good 
time."  * 

In  the  Lexington  District,  the  displays  of  divine 
power  can  scarcely  be  described.  The  territorial 
limits  it  embraced  had  for  several  years  been  the 
stronghold  of  Campbellism  in  the  State.  To  achieve 
success  was  the  purpose  of  the  noble  men  who  oc- 
cupied this  field. 

The  following  letter  from  Benjamin  T.  Crouch, 
written  August  29,  1842,  presents  a  fair  view  of  the 
difficulties  which  confronted  the  Church  and  con- 
spired to  defeat  its  purposes: 

"  While  the  tide  of  revival  intelligence  has  been 
teeming  from  every  quarter,  through  the  medium  of 
the  Advocate,  and  our  hearts  have  been  cheered  with 
the  success  of  our  brethren  in  their  various  depart- 
ments of  the  gospel  work,  there  has  been  but  little 
*  Western  Christian  Advocate,  May  20,  1842. 


432  Western   Cavaliers. 

communicated  from  the  Lexington  District  to  swell 
this  stream  of  religious'  entertainment.  The  Con- 
ference-year opened  upon  us,  in  this  division  of  the 
Christian  field,  under  rather  discouraging  auspices; 
for  the  enemy  truly  came  like  a  'flood,'  and  it  ap- 
peared for  a  time  that  we  should  have  to  submit  to 
the  destructm  numersion  of  a  second  deluge,  without 
any  salvation  from  the  threatening  billows,  by  a 
baptismal  entrance  into  the  ark  of  safety.  This, 
however,  did  not  trouble  us  much;  for  we  believed 
the  preaching  of  the  latter-day  'Noah' — that  'our 
Heavenly  Father  will  give  the  Holy  Spirit  to  them 
that  ask  him' — and  we  'prayed  unto  the  Lord  our 
God,'  and  he  heard  us,  and  sent  forth  the  baptismal 
fire  of  his  gracious  Spirit  in  many  places,  and  evap- 
orated the  suffocating  floods  with  which  the  enemy 
attempted  to  overwhelm  us,  and  our  heads  are  still 
above  the  waves.  Our  prospects  are  evidently  bright- 
ening, and  have  been  for  some  months  past,  and  the 
state  of  religious  feeling  is  obviously  rising  in  almost 
every  part  of  the  District.  Most  of  the  circuits 
have  been  recently  blessed  with  very  gracious  re- 
vivals of  the  work  of  God,  and  the  preachers  have 
a  favorable  prospect  of  leaving  their  charges  in  an 
advancing  condition  when  they  go  up  to  the  ap- 
proaching Conference.  In  some  of  those  seasons  of 
reviving  the  work  was  marked  with  much  of  the 
divine  influence;  convictions  for  sin  were  deep  and 
pungent,  conversions  were  clear  and  powerful,  and 
additions  encouragingly  numerous.  We  have  not 
been  able,  it  is  true,  to  vie  with  our  brethren  in  some 
parts  of  the  gospel-field,  in  extending  the  borders  of 


Western   Cavaliers.  433 

our  Zion  and  augmenting  the  hosts  of  Israel;  but 
our  most  sanguine  expectations  have  been  greatly 
exceeded,  and  the  Head  of  the  Church  is  still  going 
forth  amongst  his  people  in  saving  strength.     The 
preachers  are  in  the  spirit  of  their  work;  they  have 
applied  themselves  to  the  advancement  of  experi- 
mental religion,  not  only  with  a  becoming  zeal,  but 
also  with  much  doctrinal  ability  and  ministerial  dis- 
creetness.    Amongst  the  subjects   of  our  revivals 
have  been  numbered  several  persons  who  (accord- 
ing to  the  tenor  of  a  recent  gospel)  had  sought  re- 
generation beneath  the  yielding  wave;  but  as  they 
did  not  come  up  therefrom  'as  pure  as  an  angel,' 
but  deceived,  disappointed,  and  unhappy,  they  pre- 
sented themselves  at  the  mercy-seat,  and  obtained, 
amidst  the  spiritual  fires  of  the  altar,  the  blessing  of 
regenerating  grace,  which  they  had  failed  to  obtain 
in  the  grave  of  waters.     It  is  not,  however,  a  matter 
of  surprise  that  those  should  be  disappointed  who 
pervert  the  ancient  order  of  things,  and  look  for 
saving  grace  in  that  undevotional  instrument  of  the 
divine  displeasure  by  which  the  wicked  antedilu- 
vians and  the  presumptuous   Egyptians  were  de- 
stroyed, but  which  never  was  employed,  by  divine 
appointment,  as  the  token  of  God's  mercy.     We  are 
compelled  to  the  opinion  that  it  is  the  misleading 
voice  of  uninspired  history,  and  not  the  'sure  word 
of  prophecy,'  that  supports  the  immersion ist  super- 
structure.    (Pardon  the  digression.) 

"We  arc  now  closing  up  our  year's  work.     The 
last  quarterly-meeting  is  far  advanced,  and  the  state 
of  things   is    delightful.      Our   thoughts    are    now 
19 


434  Western    Cavaliers. 

turned  toward  the  pleasant  city  of  Lexington,  where, 
in  a  few  days,  the  laborious  itinerants  of  Kentucky 
will  assemble  in  Conference  to  make  their  reports; 
to  devise  plans  and  concert  measures  for  the  farther 
promotion  of  the  cause  of  God;  to  receive  their  ap- 
pointments for  another  year,  and  then  away  to  their 
work  again.  The  reported  accessions  to  the  thou- 
sands of  our  Israel,  in  the  several  circuits  and  sta- 
tions of  this  Conference,  will  vary  from  a  dozen  or 
two  up  to  several  hundreds.  Even  in  this  District, 
where  we  had  feared  that  we  should  not  be  able  more 
than  merely  to  hold  our  own,  the  Lord  has  been 
better  to  us  than  all  our  fears,  and  the  numbers 
added  to  us  will  reach  the  cheering  aggregate  of 
twelve  or  fifteen  hundred.  And  let  no  traducer  of 
God's  ministers  say  that  the  infants  we  baptize  are 
comprised  in  these  reported  numbers.  This  envious 
imputation  is  being  bandied  over  the  land  as  one  of 
the  secrets  of  Methodist  success,  than  which  we 
know,  and  so  does  our  Divine  Master;  nothing  can 
be  farther  from  the  truth.  We  mark  and  foster  the 
tender  lambs,  but  reckon  them  not  in  the  number  of 
the  laboring  members  of  the  flock.  If  selfishness 
and  intolerance  were  turned  out  of  the  Church, 
there  would  be  more  room  for  brotherly  love  and 
Christian  union.  Let  those  whose  liberality  dis- 
poses them  to  hail  the  Christian  in  all  who  exhibit 
the  spirit  of  Christ  pray  that  the  power  of  grace 
may  correct  the  heads  and  improve  the  hearts  of 
those  whose  only  standard  of  piety,  for  themselves 
and  everybody  else,  is  the  measure  of  their  own 
opinions. 


Western    Cavaliers.  435 

"Glory  be  to  God  for  all  his  benefits  toward  us! 
for  the  good  that  is  done  upon  the  earth,  the  Lord 
doeth  it."  * 

Every  charge  in  this  District  was  visited  by 
si  lowers  of  grace.-  The  city  of  Lexington  was  fa- 
vored with  a  blessed  revival,  under  the  ministry  of 
Richard  Deering;  in  Frankfort,  AVilliam  Atherton 
was  eminently  useful;  Peter  Taylor  and  John  B. 
Ewan,  the  preachers  on  the  Winchester  Circuit, 
witnessed  the  conversion  of  hundreds.  Peter  Taylor 
had  for  several  years  been  an  itinerant,  and  was  dis- 
tinguished for  his  usefulness  and  zeal.  Mr.  Ewan 
had  just  entered  the  itinerant  ranks,  but  was  a 
young  man  of  remarkable  promise. 

John  Collins  Hardy  was  the  preacher  on  the 
Mount  Sterling  Circuit.  He  was  born,  October  1, 
1809,  in  Ross  county,  near  Chillicothe,  Ohio.  At  a 
camp-meeting  held  at  Brown's  Camp-ground,  in 
Ross  county,  in  the  autumn  of  1825,  he  was  power- 
fully converted,  under  the  ministry  of  Francis  Wil- 
son, and  joined  the  Church  at  the  same  time.  In 
August,  1830,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  John 
Collins,  at  the  place  where  he  first  felt  the  pardon- 
ing love  of  Christ.  At  the  session  of  the  Ohio 
Conference  of  1830  he  was  admitted  on  trial,  and 
traveled  two  years,  when,  at  his  own  request,  he 
was  discontinued.  In  a  local  sphere  he  was  not 
happy.  Believing  it  to  be  his  duty  to  devote  him- 
self exclusively  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  he 
(•nine  to  Kentucky,  and  offered  himself  to  the  Con- 
ference, in  1837.  As  the  colleague  of  William  C. 
;:  Western  Christian  Advocate,  September  9,  1842. 


436  Western   Cavaliers. 

McMahan,  lie  was  appointed  to  the  Lewis  Circuit, 
and  in  1838  to  the  Millersburg  Circuit;  thence  we 
follow  him  to  Paris,  in  1839.  At  the  Conference  of 
1840  he  located.  Mr.  Hardy  remained  local  but  one 
year.  He  was  readmitted  in  1841,  and  appointed  to 
the  Mount  Sterling  Circuit,  where  we  now  find  him. 

From  the  time  Mr.  Hardy  entered  the  itinerant 
field  in  Kentucky,  he  took  rank  with  the  ablest 
preachers  in  the  Conference.  Retiring  in  his  dispo- 
sition, he  placed  upon  his  ministry  a  much  lower 
estimate  than  was  placed  upon  it  by  others.  On 
the  Mount  Sterling  Circuit,  as  in  other  charges,  suc- 
cess crowned  his  labors.  During  the  early  part  of 
the  year  indications  were  by  no  means  favorable  for 
a  revival.  On  the  first  of  May,  however,  he  com- 
menced a  meeting  in  a  remote  portion  of  the  circuit, 
which  continued  four  days,  and  resulted  in  twenty- 
three  additions  to  the  Church  and  about  half  that 
number  of  conversions.  On  the  4th  of  June  he 
began  a  meeting  at  Poynter's  Chapel,  which  con- 
tinued fourteen  days,  at  which  thirty-eight  persons 
were  added  to  the  Church,  and  twenty  professed  re- 
ligion. On  the  12th  of  July  a  meeting  was  com- 
menced in  Slate,  which  lasted  seven  days,  at  which 
twenty  persons  were  happily  converted  and  thirty- 
three  joined  the  Church.  A  camp-meeting  held  at 
Poynter's  Camp-ground  commenced  August  18,  at 
which  one  hundred  and  twenty  persons  joined  the 
Church  and  eighty  were  converted  to  God.  In  this 
last  meeting  Mr.  Hardy  was  assisted  by  Messrs. 
Yeach,  Wilson,  Ewan,  Taylor,  and  McMahan. 

Drummond  Wclburn  had  charge  of  the  Athens 


Western   Cavaliers.  437 

Circuit.  He  was  the  son  of  Drummond  and  Mary 
Henderson  Welburn,  and  was  born  in  Accomack 
county,  Virginia,  October  22,  1818.  His  parents 
were  devout  Christians  and  earnest  workers  in  the 
Methodist  Church  of  which  they  were  members. 
Two  months  before  the  birth  of  Drummond  Wel- 
burn his  father  died,  leaving  the  training  of  the  son 
to  the  widowed  mother.  The  influence  of  a  religious 
home  can  scarcely  be  estimated.  The  teachings  of 
his  pious  mother  impressed  his  young  heart,  and 
led  him,  when  only  a  child,  to  form  resolutions  for 
a  better  life.  Attending  Sunday-school  when  only 
seven  years  of  age,  he  was  awakened  more  power- 
fully than  he  had  been  before  by  reading  the  seven- 
teenth verse  of  the  third  chapter  of  John's  Gospel, 
printed  on  a  ticket  which  had  been  given  him. 
When  twelve  years  of  age  he  removed  to  the  city 
of  Philadelphia,  where  he  remained  until  September, 
1838.  While  in  that  city  he  attended  the  Methodist 
Sunday-school,  occupying  a  portion  of  the  time  as 
teacher.  In  the  autumn  of  1838  he  removed  to 
Lexington,  Kentucky.  The  first  sermon  he  heard 
in  the  West  was  preached  in  Lexington  by  Bishop 
Waugh,  the  Sabbath  after  he  reached  that  city — 
then  on  his  way  to  the  Kentucky  Conference  at 
Danville.  Although  surrounded  by  influences  ad- 
verse to  Methodism,  the  recollection  of  his  mother's 
counsel  and  prayers  led  him  to  the  Methodist  Church, 
where  he  was  a  constant  attendant. 

On  a  pleasant  Sabbath  afternoon,  April  14,  1839, 
while  walking  alone  outside  of  Lexington,  he  was 
arrested  by  the  Holy  Spirit  and  impressed  with  the 


438  Western   Cavaliers. 

terrible  thought  that  this  call,  if  unheeded,  would 
be  the  last.  For  a  few  weeks  he  endeavored  to 
seek  religion  without  revealing  either  his  feelings  or 
purposes  to  any  one;  but  failing  to  realize  the  par- 
doning love  of  Christ,  on  the  8th  of  May  he  deter- 
mined to  ask  the  counsel  and  prayers  of  the  people 
of  God.  That  evening  he  went  to  the  Methodist 
Church,  and  thence  to  two  Presbyterian  Churches, 
but  found  that  there  was  no  service  at  either  of 
them.  Unwilling  to  defer  a  question  of  such  mo- 
ment, he  passed  on  to  the  Baptist  Church,  where  he 
heard  a  sermon  from  the  Rev.  Mr.  Hurley,  of  Mis- 
souri, and  an  exhortation  from  Dr.  Burrows.  At 
the  close  of  the  service,  with  several  others,  he  pre- 
sented himself  for  the  prayers  of  the  Church.  On 
Thursday  and  Friday  evenings  he  was  still  a  penitent 
at  the  altar.  After  a  conversation  with  Dr.  Bur- 
rows on  Friday  night,  he  retired  to  his  room  and  fer- 
vently pleaded  for  mercy.  At  eleven  o'clock,  while 
on  his  knees,  reading  the  tenth  chapter  of  Romans, 
he  "  was  enabled  by  divine  grace  to  believe  with  the 
heart  unto  righteousness."  On  the  26th  day  of  the 
same  month  he  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church. 

Believing  that  he  was  divinely  called  to  the  work 
of  the  ministry,  he  was  licensed  to  exhort  December 
19, 1839,  by  George  W.  Brush,  and  licensed  to  preach 
May  18,  1840,  by  William  Guun. 

Several  months  elapsed  from  the  time  he  was 
licensed  to  preach  until  the  meeting  of  the  Confer- 
ence. These  were  spent  on  the  Burlington  Circuit, 
as  junior  preacher,  Thomas  Hall  being  in  charge. 


Western    Cavaliers.  439 

On  this  circuit  he  gave  full  proof  of  his  ministry, 
and  had  the  pleasure  of  witnessing  the  conversion 
of  forty  persons  at  a  camp-meeting  held  in  Kenton 
county. 

Entering  the  Conference  in  1840,  he  was  sent,  with 
Carlisle  Babbitt,  to  the  Winchester  Circuit,  where 
lie  was  instrumental  in  winning  souls  to  Christ. 
His  appointment  in  1841  was  to  the  Athens  Circuit 
— a  new  charge,  without  any  membership.  Within 
the  bounds  of  his  circuit  there  were  thirty -one 
members  of  the  Church,  twelve  of  whom  held  their 
membership  in  Lexington,  seventeen  in  the  Win- 
chester Circuit,  and  two  in  the  Paris  Circuit.  Be- 
fore the  first  day  of  the  following  April  Mr.  Wei  burn 
had  organized  five  Societies  and  added  forty-seven 
to  the  number  already  mentioned.  The  religious 
interest  which  had  been  awakened  up  to  this  time 
continued  to  widen  and  spread,  until  at  the  close  of 
the  year  one  hundred  and  eighty-six  members  were 
reported,  most  of  whom  had  been  powerfully  con- 
verted. 

It  is  but  seldom  that  we  are  permitted  to  record 
such  triumphs  of  grace  under  the  ministry  of  a 
preacher  so  young  and  inexperienced  as  was  Drum- 
mond  Welburn.  He  was  zealous,  faithful,  and  gave 
great  promise  of  usefulness  to  the  Church. 

Carlisle  Babbitt  and  Moses  Levi  were  the  preachers 
on  the  Georgetown  Circuit.  Although  the  General 
Minutes  report  no  change  in  the  membership  from 
the  previous  year,  yet  this  circuit  enjoyed  much 
prosperity. 

The  ministry  of  James  D.  Holding,  on  the  Bur- 


440  Western   Cavaliers. 

1  i  ngton  Circuit,  was  greatly  blessed ;  while  the  Owen- 
ton  Circuit,  with  Thomas  Demoss  and  Marcus  L. 
King,  continued  to  prosper. 

Thomas  Demoss  was  born  May  5,  1813,  and  was 
converted  in  1830.  In  1835  he  was  admitted  on 
trial  into  the  Kentucky  Conference,  and  appointed 
to  the  Madison  Circuit,  as  junior  preacher.  In 
1836,  with  Thomas  S.  Davis,  he  was  sent  to  the  Salt 
River  Circuit.  It  was  during  this  year  that  we  first 
saw  Mr.  Demoss.  The  Shelby ville  Bible  Society 
had  employed  us  to  distribute  Testaments  in  Shelby, 
Anderson,  and  Spencer  counties,  to  all  the  children 
under  fifteen  years  of  age  who  could  read.  While 
prosecuting  this  work  in  Spencer  county  we  spent 
a  night  at  the  house  of  Isaac  Miller,  Esq.,  where 
we  learned  that  Mr.  Demoss  would  preach  the  fol- 
lowing day.  It  was  here  that  we  met  with  him,  and 
we  still  remember  the  words  of  advice  and  of  cheer 
which  we  received  from  his  lips. 

At  the  Conference  of  1837  his  field  of  labor  was 
the  Germantown  Circuit,  as  the  colleague  of  Hiram 
Baker;  in  1838  he  was  sent  to  the  Leesburg  Circuit 
alone,  and  in  1839  to  the  Sharpsburg  Circuit.  At 
the  Conference  of  1840  he  was  appointed  to  the 
Madisonville  Circuit,  and  in  1841  to  the  Owenton 
Circuit,  where  we  now  find  him. 

In  the  several  charges  occupied  by  Mr.  Demoss 
he  was  a  faithful  and  successful  preacher.  In  the 
Owenton  Circuit,  as  early  as  the  6th  of  April,  he 
writes  that  "upward  of  one  hundred  persons  had 
joined  the  Church,  forty  of  whom  had  become  mem- 
bers at  New  Liberty,  fifteen  at  Owenton,  and  the 


Western    Cavaliers.  441 

remainder  in  other  portions  of  the  circuit."*  His 
colleague,  Marcus  L.  King,  was  a  young  preacher  of 
piety  and  zeal. 

At  Carrollton,  success  still  attended  the  labors  of 
Fielding  Bell;  while  in  the  Versailles  Circuit  — 
whose  preacher  had  fallen  at  his  post  in  the  early 
part  of  the  year — under  the  ministry  of  Thomas 
Rankin,  Richard  Deering,  and  other  brethren,  who 
devoted  as  much  time  to  that  charge  as  could  be 
spared  from  their  own  work,  many  were  brought  to 
Christ. 

The  total  increase  in  the  Lexington  District  was 
nine  hundred  and  sixty-four  white  and  four  hundred 
and  eighty-five  colored. 

The  Louisville  District  shows,  in  the  General  Min- 
utes, a  decrease  of  seventeen  hundred  and  seventy- 
five  white  and  forty-one  colored  members.  An 
examination  of  the  appointments  included  within  its 
territory,  as  compared  with  the  former  year,  shows 
that  the  Elizabeth,  Brandenburg,  Hardinsburg, 
Hartford,  and  Yellow  Banks  Circuits  had  been 
taken  from  it,  and  constituted  the  larger  portion  of 
a  new  District,  known  as  the  Hardinsburg  District. 
The  actual  increase  in  the  Louisville  District  was 
nine  hundred  and  twenty -six  in  the  white  and 
three  hundred  and  forty-eight  in  the  colored  mem- 
bership. 

In  the  city  of  Louisville,  from  the  Fourth-street 
Church  the  Fourth  and  Eighth-street  charges  had 
been  formed.  George  C.  Light  was  stationed  at  the 
former,  and  Thomas  Bottomley  at  the  latter.     In 

*  Western  Christian  Advocate,  May  6,  1842. 
19* 


442  Western    Cavaliers. 

both  of  these  charges  there  were  extraordinary  re- 
vivals of  religion,  in  which  many  were  brought  to 
Christ.  The  Louisville  and  German  Mission,  under 
the  oversight  of  Peter  Shmucker,  continued  to  ad- 
vance in  influence  and  in  numbers. 

Elkanah  Johnson,  with  George  Riach  for  his  col- 
league, in  the  Newcastle  Circuit,  won  many  souls  to 
Christ.  The  preachers  on  the  La  Grange  Circuit 
were  William  James  and  James  S.  Woolls.  Under 
their  ministry  a  net  increase  of  one  hundred  and 
seven  white  and  sixteen  colored  members  was  re- 
ported. 

The  grandest  achievements  of  grace  were  to  be 
seen  in  the  Jefferson  Circuit.  The  preachers  were 
Joseph  D.  Barnett  and  Charles  B.  Parsons.  About 
three  hundred  persons  joined  the  Church  under 
their  ministry,  and  about  the  same  number  were 
happily  converted.  It  was  under  their  administra- 
tion that  Dorsey's  Camp-ground  was  established. 
The  first  camp-meeting  held  on  that  spot,  conse- 
crated by  the  conversion  of  hundreds,  commenced 
about  the  middle  of  August,  and  continued  six  days. 
"  About  one  hundred  and  twenty -five  were  converted 
to  God,  and  ninety  were  added  to  the  army  of  the 
Lord."* 

The  Hardinsburg  District  was  a  new  field,  formed 
by  a  division  of  the  Louisville  District,  with  the 
addition  of  the  Litchfield  Circuit  and  the  Morgan- 
field  and  Henderson  Circuit — the  former  being  taken 
from  the  Shelby ville  District,  and  the  latter  from  the 
Ilopkinsville  District.  The  energetic  and  zealous 
*  Western  Christian  Advocate,  iSeptember  9,  1842. 


Western   Cavaliers.  443 

Richard  L>.  Keale  was  the  leader  of  the  hosts  in  this 
inviting  field. 

The  Elizabethtown  Circuit,  under  the  pastoral  care 
of  Hartwell  J.  Perry,  enjoyed  much  prosperity.  Mr. 
Perry  was  born  in  Shelby  county,  Kentucky,  No- 
vember 1,  1806.  His  parents  removed  from  Shelby 
to  Henderson  county  in  1819.  In  the  summer  of 
1825,  while  at  work  alone  on  his  father's  farm,  the 
subjects  of  death,  the  judgment,  and  eternity,  pre- 
sented themselves  to  his  mind,  awakening  serious 
reflections  in  reference  to  his  responsibility  to  God. 
He  promptly  formed  a  resolution,  from  which  he 
never  swerved,  to  become  a  Christian.  On  the  16th 
day  of  April,  1826,  in  company  with  his  excellent 
mother,  he  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  on  the  30th  of  the  same  month  he  experienced 
that  "peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  understand- 
ing." In  the  autumn  of  1829,  at  a  camp-meeting 
in  Livingston  county,  he  realized  the  "fullness  of 
the  blessing  of  the  gospel  of  Christ."  Returning 
home,  the  altar  was  erected  in  his  father's  house, 
and  morning  and  evening  he  led  in  family-prayer. 
Feeling  that  God  required  of  him  more  than  private 
membership  in  the  Church,  he  frequently  held  meet- 
ings in  the  neighborhood,  and  endeavored  to  per- 
suade his  associates  to  seek  religion.  On  the  13th  of 
March,  1830,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  at  Rawley's 
Meeting-house,  in  Henderson  county,  by  George 
McNeliy,  and  was  employed  by  him  to  travel  for  the 
remainder  of  the  year  on  the  Henderson  Circuit, 
with  Clement  L.  Clifton.  In  this  responsible  posi- 
tion his  labors  were  greatly  blessed.     His  earnest 


444  Western   Cavaliers. 

appeals  and  warm  exhortations  persuaded  many  to 
abandon  the  path  of  sin  and  turn  to  God. 

At  the  session  of  the  Kentucky  Conference  of 
1830  he  was  admitted  on  trial,  and  appointed  to  the 
Cumberland  Circuit,  with  W.  A.  H.  Spratt.  This 
circuit  embraced  within  its  territory  the  counties  of 
Knox,  Harlan,  Laurel,  and  Whitley,  in  Kentucky, 
and  Campbell  county,  in  Tennessee.  Faithful  in  the 
performance  of  the  duties  assigned  him,  the  young 
preacher  was  instrumental  in  winning  many  souls 
to  Christ.  After  passing  the  winter  in  this  rugged 
field,  he  was  removed  in  the  spring  to  the  Somerset 
Circuit,  to  assist  the  zealous  John  Sandusky.  From 
the  Conference  of  1831  he  was  sent  to  the  Danville 
Circuit,  with  the  earnest  and  indefatigable  John 
James,  where  he  spent  aa  pleasant  and  profitable 
year.''  His  next  appointment  was  the  Green  River 
Circuit,  where  success  still  crowned  his  faithful  min- 
istry. In  the  autumn  of  1833  he  was  again  sent  to 
the  Danville  Circuit,  where,  after  laboring  a  few 
months,  his  health  failed,  compelling  him  to  retire 
from  the  work. 

In  1835  he  was  sufficiently  restored  to  enable  him 
to  return  to  the  effective  ranks,  and  we  find  him 
in  the  Newport  and  Covington  Station,  as  the  col- 
league of  the  gifted  William  Phillips,  where  many 
were  converted  and  added  to  the  Church.  We  next 
follow  him  to  Cynthiana,  where  he  remained  two 
years,  still  making  "full  proof  of  his  ministry." 

In  September,  1838,  death  came  to  his  home  and 
carried  away  its  brightest  jewel.  She  who  for  six 
years  had  followed  his  fortunes,  amid  privation,  and 


Western   Cavaliers.  445 

toil,  and  sacrifice,  was  called  to  be  the  companion  of 
the  angels. 

1 1  is  subsequent  appointments  were  Bowling  Green, 
Georgetown,  and  Elizabethtown  (where  we  find  him 
in  1841).  In  these  several  charges  his  ministry  was 
abundantly  blessed.  On  the  Georgetown  Circuit, 
from  the  time  he  entered  upon  his  work  until  he 
closed  his  labors  in  that  interesting  charge,  at  the 
expiration  of  two  years,  a  deep  religious  influence 
pervaded  the  community.  Among  the  stars  that 
will  deck  the  crown  of  his  rejoicing,  when  God's 
jewels  are  gathered,  will  be  found  many  of  the  In- 
dian youths  who  at  that  time  were  students  at  the 
Choctaw  Academy,  located  in  Scott  county.  Invited 
to  preach  at  the  academy,  he  accepted  the  invitation. 
At  first  the  gospel  seemed  to  exert  but  a  feeble  influ- 
ence upon  the  students,  and  the  preacher  entertained 
serious  thoughts  of  surrendering  the  appointment. 
Unwilling  to  do  so  without  a  valid  reason,  on  his 
third  visit  he  proposed  to  all  who  desired  an  interest 
in  his  prayers,  and  wished  to  be  saved,  to  give  him 
their  hand.  The  scene  which  followed  gladdened 
the  hearts  of  angels  and  sent  a  thrill  of  joy  through 
the  realms  of  bliss.  More  than  sixty  of  these  sons 
of  the  forest  gave  the  preacher  their  hands,  and, 
falling  on  their  knees,  cried  out  for  mercy.  Re- 
quested by  the  principal  of  the  academy  to  preach 
in  the  afternoon,  he  did  so,  when  the  altar  was 
crowded  with  anxious  inquirers  after  the  truth. 
Forty-two  of  them  joined  the  Church  at  that  time, 
and  the  good  work  progressed  until  one  hundred  In- 
dians were  added  to  the  membership — among  them 


446  Western   Cavaliers. 

John  Page,  who  became  a  preacher  and  entered  the 
Kentucky  Conference  in  1842,  and  went  as  a  mis- 
sionary to  his  own  nation. 

Later  in  the  year,  at  a  camp-meeting  held  near 
Georgetown,  one  hundred  and  five  persons  were 
added  to  the  Church,  and  twenty-four  others  within 
four  days  after  the  meeting  closed. 

On  the  Elizabeth  Circuit,  Mr.  Perry  continued  to 
deliver  his  message  with  the  same  energy  and  suc- 
cess that  had  distinguished  him  elsewhere.  Bold, 
fearless,  energetic,  true  to  his  Master's  cause,  God 
crowned  his  labors  with  success. 

The  Big  Spring  and  Hardinsburg  Circuits — the 
former  with  Peter  Duncan  and  Charles  Hendrickson 
as  the  preachers,  and  the  latter  under  the  pastoral 
care  of  the  sweet-spirited  Seraiah  S.  Deering — en- 
joyed times  of  refreshing;  while  John  Miller,  on 
the  Morganfield  and  Henderson  Circuit,  was  em- 
inently successful.  The  net  increase  in  this  District 
was  three  hundred  and  six  white  and  forty-four  col- 
ored members. 

If  any  other  District  presented  a  larger  increase 
during  the  year,  none  was  favored  with  a  more 
general  revival  of  religion,  than  the  Shelbyville. 
The  good  work  commenced  almost  immediately 
after  Conference  closed,  and  before  the  winter  had 
passed,  upon  every  charge  in  the  District,  with  a 
single  exception,  showers  of  grace  had  fallen,  and 
many  had  been  brought  to  Christ.  With  the  open- 
ing of  spring  the  work  spread  in  every  direction. 
Its  influence  was  overwhelming.  In  the  Shelby 
Circuit,  under  the  ministry  of  Napoleon  B.  Lewis 


Western   Cavaliers.  447 

and  John  W.  Fields,  a  meeting  was  held  in  Simp- 
sonville,  commencing  early  in  March,  at  which  there 
were  thirty-eight  accessions  to  the  Church.  At  the 
close  of  this  meeting  Mr.  Lewis  returned  to  his  home 
in  Christiansburg,  and  during  his  stay  concluded  to 
preach  a  few  sermons,  under  which  a  revival  com- 
menced; and  there,  also,  thirty -eight  persons  cast  in 
their  lot  with  the  people  of  God.  The  third  quar- 
terly-meeting commenced  June  6,  and  was  held  at 
Pleasureville.  Having  no  church-edifice  there,  the 
Methodists  had  been  holding  service  in  the  Baptist 
Church;  but  the  members  closed  their  doors,  and 
declined  to  allow  the  quarterly-meeting  to  be  held  in 
their  house.  .The  Presbyterian  Church  was  situated 
about  one  mile  from  the  village,  and  its  use  was 
kindly  tendered  to  Mr.  Lewis.  The  meeting  was 
protracted  nine  days,  during  which  time  one  hun- 
dred and  nineteen  persons  were  added  to  the  Church. 
For  the  convenience  of  the  neighborhood  the  meet- 
ing was  transferred  to  Pleasant  Grove  Church,  and 
thence  to  Christiansburg,  and  thirty  persons  were 
received  in  addition.  Nor  did  the  work  stop  here. 
More  than  three  hundred  persons  had  been  con- 
verted and  enrolled  their  names  on  the  Church- 
book,  when,  in  August,  a  camp-meeting  was  held  at 
Crane's  Camp-ground,  in  Henry  county,  which  con- 
tinued eight  days,  and  thirty  persons  "  passed  from 
death  unto  life"  and  joined  the  Church.  Two 
weeks  later  the  fourth  quarterly -meeting  com- 
menced at  CardwelPs  Camp -ground,  when  sixty 
more  witnessed  a  good  confession.  The  last  meet- 
ing before  Conference  was  held  at  Hebron,  at  which 


448  Western   Cavaliers. 

this  zealous  and  faithful  evangelist  was  unable  to  be 
present.  The  meeting  was  conducted  by  Messrs. 
G-unn,  Ralston,  Tevis,  and  Fields.  Here  more  than 
twenty  persons  professed  faith  in  Christ.  The  Min- 
utes show  a  net  increase  of  more  than  six  hundred 
white  and  colored  in  this  circuit. 

On  the  Salt  River  Circuit,  to  which  Richard  I. 
Dungan  and  William  R.  Price  were  appointed,  on 
the  22d  of  April  a  meeting  commenced  in  the  Chap- 
lin neighborhood,  which  resulted  in  the  conversion 
of  forty  persons.  William  Grunn,  the  Presiding 
Elder  of  the  District,  conducted  the  meeting,  as- 
sisted by  Robert  Fisk,  William  D.  Matting,  and 
Jesse  Bird. 

In  the  Shelbyville  Station,  Thomas  N".  Ralston 
enjoyed  a  year  of  great  prosperity;  while  in  Bards- 
town  Nathanael  H.  Lee  was  eminently  useful. 

Mr.  Lee  was  born,  in  Campbell  county,  Virginia, 
April  29,  1816.  When  only  a  child  he  came,  with 
his  parents,  to  Kentucky,  and  settled  in  Monroe 
county.  He  was  educated  chiefly  in  Glasgow,  Ken- 
tucky, meeting  the  expenses  of  his  course  by  teach- 
ing school  at  intervals.  Under  the  ministry  of 
Clinton  Kelly  and  John  C.  C.  Thompson,  in  1836, 
lie  was  awakened  to  a  sense  of  his  condition  as  a 
sinner,  professed  religion,  and  joined  the  Methodist 
Church. 

No  sooner  had  Nathanael  H.  Lee  realized  the  par- 
doning love  of  the  Saviour  than  he  believed  it  to  be 
his  duty  to  call  sinners  to  repentance.  To  him  the 
world  had  many  charms,  and,  attracted  by  its  tinsel 
and  pageantry,  he  had  dreamed  of  happiness  in  its 


Western   Cavaliers.  449 

pursuits.  Endowed  with  a  superior  intellect  and 
with  untiring  energy,  lie  might  have  attained  to 
eminence  in  any  of  the  learned  professions.  The 
Church,  however,  had  claims  on  him,  and  in  enter- 
ing its  communion  he  brought  all — talents,  energy 
— to  the  foot  of  the  cross.  He  was  licensed  to  ex- 
hort in  1837,  under  the  administration  of  James 
King,  and  licensed  to  preach,  in  1838,  by  Jonathan 
Stamper.  At  the  Kentucky  Conference  of  1838  he 
was  admitted  on  trial  and  appointed,  with  Gilby 
Kelly,  to  the  Hopkinsville  Circuit.  His  second  ap- 
pointment was  to  the  Mount  Pleasant  Mission,  in 
the  south-eastern  portion  of  Kentucky.  To  this 
rugged  field  he  was  returned  in  1840.  In  1841  he 
was  stationed  in  Bardstown. 

From  the  admission  of  Mr.  Lee  into  the  Confer- 
ence it  was  apparent  to  all  who  made  his  acquaint- 
ance that  he  was  destined  at  an  early  day  to  occupy 
a  commanding  eminence  in  the  Church.  His  un- 
compromising devotion,  his  fervent  zeal,  his  self- 
sacrificing  spirit,  his  love  of  the  Church,  and  his 
superior  intellect,  qualified  him  as  a  leader  among 
his  brethren. 

On  the  Hopkinsville  Circuit,  in  his  earliest  min- 
istry, he  defended  the  peculiar  doctrines  of  Meth- 
odism with  an  ability  that  has  but  seldom  been 
equaled,  while  many  were  gathered  into  the  fold  of 
Christ  who  will  be  stars  to  deck  the  crown  of  his 
rejoicing  in  the  hereafter. 

His  labors  on  the  Mount  Pleasant  Mission  were 
very  arduous;  but,  ever  faithful  to  the  trust  com- 
mitted to  him,  he  knew  no  sacrifice  that  he  did  not 


450  Western   Cavaliers. 

cheerfully  make  for  the  Master.  For  two  years  he 
was  seen  to  thread  the  valleys  of  the  Cumberland 
and  to  cross  its  rock-ribbed  mountains,  to  preach 
the  unsearchable  riches  of  Christ.  In  the  open 
forest,  in  the  log  school-house,  in  the  cabins  of  the 
humble,  he  proclaimed  the  tidings  of  a  Redeemer's 
love,  and  under  his  ministry  hundreds  gathered 
around  the  cross. 

If  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Lee  was  blessed  in  the 
lowlands  and  in  the  mountains  of  Kentucky,  he  was 
equally  successful  in  the  pleasant  village  of  Bards- 
town.  Among  the  many  who  were  brought  into 
the  Church  during  his  pastorate  in  this  place  was 
James  B.  Hardin,  the  second  son  of  Hon.  Ben. 
Hardin.     In  a  letter  to  the  author,  Mr.  Lee  says: 

"  While  at  West  Pointy  James  B.  Hardin  was  con- 
verted and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
This  was  a  short  time  before  he  graduated.  On  his 
return  home  he  revealed  the  happy  change  to  his 
mother,  informed  her  that  he  had  joined  the  Church, 
and  believed  himself  divinely  called  to  preach  the 
gospel,  and  felt  strongly  impressed  that  he  ought  to 
become  an  itinerant  preacher.  Although  Mr.  Har- 
din and  his  family  were  Methodists  in  sentiment, 
and  their  house  had  been  for  many  years  the  home 
of  traveling  preachers,  yet  none  of  them,  up  to  that 
time,  had  become  members  of  the  Church. 

"The  family  was  among  the  most  wealthy  and 
influential  in  the  State,  Mr.  Hardin  having  scarcely 
a  peer  as  a  lawyer.  A  handsome  fortune  had  been 
spent  in  the  education  of  their  son.  He  had  enjoyed 
all  the  advantages  of  educational  training  that  could 


Western    Cavaliers.  451 

be  afforded  in  the  United  States,  and  I  am  of  the 
opinion  that  he  spent  some  time  at  one  of  the  uni- 
versities in  Europe.  He  was  endowed  with  a 
princely  intellect,  and  bade  fair  to  be  one  of  the 
most  brilliant  young  men  in  the  State.  He  was  all 
that  his  parents  could  wish  him  to  be.  He  was  the 
idol  of  his  family. 

"It  was  very  natural  that  they  should  oppose  his 
entrance  upon  the  life  of  a  traveling  preacher.  Such 
a  result  would  have  contravened  all  the  hopes  they 
had  entertained  of  him.  In  such  a  calling  there 
could  be  no  worldly  honor,  no  glory,  no  wealth.  It 
would  necessarily,  especially  at  that  time,  be  a  life 
of  toil  and  hardship,  spent  mainly  among  the  poor 
and  obscure,  who  had  no  honor  to  confer,  no  emol- 
ument to  bestow.  They  believed  in  and  admired 
Methodism;  they  loved  Methodist  preachers,  and 
delighted  to  afford  them  the  noble  hospitality  of 
their  comfortable  home.  They  believed  there  was  a 
necessity  for  Methodism;  the  wants  of  the  world 
could  not  be  met  without  it;  it  was  their  beau  ideal 
of  a  Church ;  yet  they  could  not  consent  that  their 
son  should  become  a  Methodist  preacher.  Other 
people's  sons  might  become  such — this  was  all  right. 
If  their  son  had  not  been  so  brilliant,  so  well  edu- 
cated, so  accomplished,  it  would  not  have  been  so 
hard.  But  their  son  was  so  gifted,  and  so  well  fitted 
to  fill  a  large  place  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  that 
they  could  not  think  of  his  consigning  himself  to  the 
humble  obscurity  of  an  itinerant  preacher.  They 
were  too  successful  in  their  opposition.  He  yielded, 
though  against  his  convictions,  to  the  worldly  views 


452  Western   Cavaliers. 

of  his  family;  but  lie  never  saw  a  happy  hour  after- 
ward. 

"  He  continued  in  the  United  States  Army  till  the 
close  of  the  Sac  and  Fox  Indian  war  (where  he  ac- 
quitted himself  well),  when  he  resigned  his  commis- 
sion in  the  army  and  entered  upon  the  study  of 
medicine,  which,  with  his  wonderful  capacity  for  the 
acquisition  of  knowledge,  he  accomplished  in  an 
unusually  short  time — graduating  at  two  medical 
colleges,  with  the  highest  distinction.  He  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  his  profession  under  most  fa- 
vorable auspices,  and  soon  had  a  good  practice.  In 
a  year  or  two  he  abandoned  the  medical  profession, 
and  entered  upon  the  study  of  the  law.  In  a  brief 
period  of  time  he  finished  his  course  of  study,  and 
graduated,  having  no  peer  in  his  class.  He  entered 
upon  the  practice  of  his  profession,  and  soon  stood 
among  the  ablest  advocates  of  the  country.  He  had 
been  but  a  few  years  engaged  in  the  practice  of  law 
when  he  consented  to  become  a  candidate  to  repre- 
sent Xelson  county  in  the  lower  house  of  the  State 
Legislature.  He  was  elected  by  a  large  majority. 
He  served  his  county  in  this  capacity  for  several 
terms,  and  always  with  distinguished  ability.  He 
soon  attained  the  reputation  of  the  most  promising 
young  man  in  the  State.  In  the  meantime,  he  had 
been  happily  married  to  Miss  Chinn,  daughter  of 
Major  Chinn,  of  Harrodsburg,  Kentucky,  a  distant 
relative. 

"  Without  any  premonition,  as  far  as  known,  and 
with  the  most  brilliant  worldly  prospects  before  him, 
while  delivering  a  speech,  he  was  suddenly  attacked 


Western    Cavaliers.  453 

with  a  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs.  This  attack  being 
repeated,  and  growing  more  violent,  and  medical  aid 
being  of  no  avail,  he  determined  to  seek  a  tropical 
clime  as  a  means  of  relief. 

"Being  appointed  to  the  Bardstown  Station  in 
1841,  when  I  arrived  I  learned  that,  with  his  wife, 
he  had  gone  to  Cuba,  seeking  in  that  mild  and  salu- 
brious climate  a  restoration  of  his  health.  But  it  all 
proved  in  vain :  he  constantly  grew  worse.  Early 
in  the  spring  he  hastened  home,  anxious  to  breathe 
his  last  in  his  native  land,  in  the  midst  of  his  kindred 
and  friends,  and  to  be  buried  with  his  ancestors. 

"  When,  through  the  opposition  of  his  family,  Mr. 
Hardin  hadedetermined  to  give  over  entering  upon 
the  Christian  ministry,  he  determined  not  to  locate 
his  membership  in  the  Church;  and  though,  during 
the  dreary  years  from  the  time  of  his  fatal  decision 
in  regard  to  the  ministry  to  the  time  of  his  sickness, 
he  had  maintained  an  unimpeachable  moral  life,  yet 
he  had  long  been  destitute  of  religious  comfort,  and, 
besides  this,  had  become  skeptical  as  to  some  of  the 
fundamental  truths  of  Christianity,  thus  illustrating 
the  true  saying  that  when  we  are  destitute  of  the 
experience  of  religion  we  are  in  a  fair  way  to  reject 
its  doctrines. 

"  In  a  short  time  after  Mr.  Hardin's  return  from 
Cuba,  I  was  sent  for  to  see  him.  I  had  heard  much 
of  his  great  ability  and  learning,  and  that  he  had 
given  great  attention  to  the  study  of  the  Bible  and 
of  theology;  I  had  learned,  also,  that  he  had  become 
very  skeptical.  Being  young  and  inexperienced,  I 
had  great  fear  of  approaching  him  on  the  subject  of 


454  Western    Cavaliers. 

religion.  When  I  called  on  him  he  seemed  to  appre- 
ciate my  feelings,  and  sought  at  once  to  relieve  me 
of  my  embarrassment  and  make  me  easy.  In  this 
he  at  once  succeeded.  In  a  very  respectful  manner 
he  stated  objections  to  some  of  the  doctrines  held 
by  <>ur  Church,  especially  the  vicarious  atonement 
of  Christ.  Feeling  that  I  was  hardly  competent  to 
engage  in  a  discussion  on  this  subject,  and  thinking 
that  such  a  discussion  with  a  man  in  his  condition 
would  be  out  of  place,  I  waived  it,  and  said  to  him 
that,  whatever  objections  to  Christianity  as  we  hold 
it  might  be  raised,  there  was  one  thing  that  he  would 
admit — that  he  could  not  reconcile  it  to  his  reason, 
or  conscience,  to  substitute  atheism,  or  deism,  or 
Romanism,  or  Mohammedanism,  or  any  form  of 
heathen  religion,  in  its  place;  that,  with  him,  it  was 
Christianity  or  no  religion  at  all,  and  that  no  specu- 
lations about  doctrines  would  now  avail;  that  he 
must  put  the  matter  to  a  decisive  personal  test,  and 
that  very  soon;  that  no  time  was  to  be  lost.  I  shall 
always  believe  that  I  was  divinely  directed  in  mak- 
ing this  reply.  He  never  referred  to  his  doubts  as 
to  the  truth  of  Christianity  any  more,  though  I  vis- 
ited him,  and  read  the  Scriptures  to  him,  and  con- 
versed and  prayed  with  him,  almost  daily  for  several 
months.  His  concern  for  his  soul  rapidly  increased, 
until  finally  the  peace  and  joy  which  had  thrilled 
his  heart  some  years  before  were  fully  restored.  In 
the  meantime,  he  again  united  with  the  Church,  be- 
fore the  congregation,  on  the  holy  Sabbath,  being 
barely  able  to  reach  the  church  in  his  carriage,  and 
give  his  hand,  and  receive  the  hand  of  fellowship 


Western    Cavaliers.  455 

from  his  Christian  friends,  and  then  return  to  his 
residence,  not  to  be  taken  thence  till  the  spirit  was 
with  God,  and  his  mortal  remains  were  borne  to  the 
grave  to  await  the  resurrection  of  the  just. 

"He  survived  until  shortly  after  the  close  of  my 
term  at  Bardstown,  and  then  died  in  great  peace 
and  triumph,  telling  his  mother,  and  wife,  and  the 
family,  as  he  had  perhaps  told  them  before,  that 
since  the  time  at  which  he  determined  not  to  preach 
the  gospel  he  had  been  a  miserable  man;  that  a 
fearful  'woe'  had  pursued  him  and  rested  upon  him 
all  the  time;  that  his  constant  restlessness,  as  the 
result,  explained  the  fact  that  he  had  gone  from  one 
profession  to  another,  vainly  seeking  relief  from  a 
consciousness  of  the  divine  displeasure,  but  failing 
to  find  it;  that  in  this  way  he  had  lost  his  religious 
enjoyment,  and  had  finally  fallen  into  skepticism, 
which  only  increased  his  wretchedness.  His  mind 
had  been  overtasked  with  excessive  study,  and  this, 
in  connection  with  the  conviction  that  he  had  diso- 
beyed the  divine  call  to  preach  the  gospel,  had  worn 
down  his  physical  constitution  until  it  could  bear  no 
more;  and  thus  the  hemorrhage  of  the  lungs  and  his 
untimely  death.  It  was  a  matter  of  the  keenest  re- 
gret and  self-reproach  that  his  life  had  been  a  failure, 
as  it  had  not  been  devoted  according  to  the  order  of 
Divine  Providence.  The  effect  upon  his  family  was 
wonderful.  His  wife  was  a  devoted  Christian  and  a 
Methodist  when  he  married  her.  His  venerable 
mother  had  joined  the  Church  at  a  watch-meeting, 
the  first  day  of  the  year  1842.  During  the  same 
year  his  three  sisters — Mrs.  Helm,  Mrs.  Palmer,  and 


456  Western    Cavaliers. 

Mrs.  Dixon — -joined  the  Church;  also,  Col.  Riley, 
his  brother-in-law,  whose  wife  had  for  some  years 
been  the  only  member  of  the  family  in  the  Church. 
Soon  afterward  his  only  brother,  Rowan,  became  a 
member,  and,  some  years  after,  his  father  joined  the 
Church  just  before  his  death." 

The  Lebanon  Circuit  was  served  by  John  San- 
dusky and  William  M.  Humphrey. 

John  Sandusky  was  born,  January  11,  1798,  in 
what  was  then  called  Jefferson  (now  Marion)  county, 
Kentucky.  As  early  as  1776  his  parents  emigrated 
to  Kentucky,  and  settled  on  Pleasant  Run,  and  es- 
tablished "Sandusky  Station." 

In  1817,  before  he  attained  his  majority,  he  was 
awakened,  converted,  and  joined  the  Methodist 
Church.  We  are  not  familiar  with  the  circum- 
stances that  led  to  his  conviction  and  conversion; 
but,  from  the  time  the  great  change  was  wrought,  he 
was  zealous  and  useful  in  the  Church.  We  do  not 
find  his  name  in  the  list  of  itinerants  until  1829,  yet 
previous  to  that  time  he  occupied  a  prominent  posi- 
tion as  a  preacher  of  the  gospel  in  the  neighborhood 
in  which  he  had  been  reared.  His  first  appointment, 
after  entering  the  Conference,  was  to  the  Green 
River  Circuit,  as  the  colleague  of  ^"ehemiah  A. 
Cravens.  In  1830  he  was  appointed  to  the  Somer- 
set Circuit,  as  the  junior  preacher,  with  the  sweet- 
si  tirited  James  King.  In  1831  his  field  of  labor  was 
the  Green  River  Circuit,  with  Hooper  Evans  and 
Thomas  Lasley.  In  1832  he  was  placed  in  charge 
of  the  Lebanon  Circuit,  with  Thomas  Hall,  and  in 
1833  he  was  the  colleague  of  George  W.  Fagg,  on 


Western   Cavaliers.  457 

the  Salt  River  Circuit.     At  the  Conference  of  1834 
he  located. 

No  preacher  in  the  Conference  labored  with  greater 
fidelity  than  did  John  Sandusky.  Enjoying  in  the 
highest  degree  the  confidence  of  all  who  knew  him, 
possessing  talents  of  a  high  order,  familiar  with  the 
doctrines  of  Christianity,  forcible  and  zealous  in 
the  presentation  of  the  great  truths  of  religion, 
deeply  pious,  and  devoted  to  the  Church,  no  man  in 
the  itinerancy  gave  promise  of  greater  usefulness. 
In  the  prime  of  his  life  he  was  compelled  by  feeble- 
ness of  health  to  retire  from  the  active  duties  of  the 
itinerancy.  For  seven  years  he  remained  in  the 
local  ranks,  often  preaching  beyond  his  strength, 
and  evincing  his  devotion  to  the  cause  of  his  Divine 
Master  by  his  abundant  labors  and  uncompromising 
zeal.  In  1841  he  reentered  the  Conference,  and  was 
appointed  to  the  Lebanon  Circuit,  in  which  he  was 
born  and  brought  up,  and  had  resided  while  local, 
and  in  which  he  was  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him. 
The  wisdom  of  the  appointment  was  fully  vindi- 
cated in  the  success  which  this  year  distinguished  his 
ministry.  Hundreds  were  awakened  and  brought 
to  Christ. 

The   Lawrenceburg   Circuit,  under  the   ministry 
of  Robert  Fisk,  largely  increased  in  membership. 

The  Harrodsburg  District,  under  the  leadership 
of  George  W.  Taylor,  shared  largely  in  the  religious 
influence  that  was  sweeping  over  the  commonwealth. 
In  Harrodsburg  and  Danville  Station  there  was  a 
decrease  in  both  the  white  and  colored  membership, 
but  every  other  charge  reported  large  accessions. 
20 


4-58  W  E  S  T  E  11  N     C  A  VALIERS. 

The  circuit  in  the  vicinity  of  Danville,  which  for 
several  years  had  been  known  as  the  Danville  Cir- 
cuit, was  divided,  and  formed  the  Stanford  and  Sal- 
visa,  and  part  of  the  Lancaster,  Circuits.  Clinton 
Kelly  was  sent  to  the  Stanford  Circuit  and  Munford 
Pelley  to  the  Salvisa  Circuit.  In  each  of  these 
charges  there  were  gracious  revivals  of  religion. 
The  Lancaster  Circuit,  which  included  all  the  terri- 
tory formerly  embraced  in  the  Mount  Vernon  Cir- 
cuit, and  of  which  Thomas  Rankin  had  charge,  also 
enjoyed  refreshing  times.  Charles  Duncan,  on  the 
Irvine  Circuit,  and  Samuel  P.  Cummins,  on  the 
Hustonville  Circuit,  performed  the  duties  assigned 
them  with  fidelity  and  success;  while  Aaron  II. 
Rice,  on  the  Liberty  Circuit,  was  instrumental  in 
bringing  many  souls  to  Christ. 
.  Nowhere  in  the  bounds  of  this  District  were  such 
conquests  made  as  in  the  Madison  Circuit,  under 
the  ministry  of  Edwin  Roberts  and  Robinson  E. 
Sidebottom.  Immediately  after  the  Conference  the 
circuit  was  divided,  forming  the  Richmond  Station, 
which  was  the  field  to  be  occupied  by  Mr.  Roberts, 
while  Mr.  Sidebottom  had  charge  of  the  circuit. 
Promptly  entering  upon  their  work,  they  prosecuted 
it  with  commendable  zeal  and  extraordinary  success. 
As  true  yoke-fellows,  they  worked  together  in  har- 
mony, and  were  instrumental  in  the  accomplishment 
of  great  good.  During  the  year,  and  in  the  midst 
of  a  career  of  usefulness,  Edwin  Roberts  fell;  but  he 
i'cll  ut  his  post,  "with  sword  in  hand  and  armor  on." 
However,  the  revival  which  commenced  under  his 
ministry  did  not  abate.     "Although  God  buried  a 


Western    Cavaliers.  459 

master -workman,  the  work  still  went  on.  The 
preachers  from  Transylvania  University,  at  Lexing- 
ton; John  H.  Linn,  from  Danville;  and  Evan  Ste- 
venson, from  Georgetown,  came  to  Richmond,  and 
many  a  precious  gem  was  borne  away  from  the  do- 
minions of  death  and  hell."'1'  The  Madison  Circuit 
was  in  a  flame;  every  appointment  was  on  fire!  At 
Old  Providence 'the  revival  was  more  extensive  and 
powerful,  perhaps,  than  at  any  other  point. 

The  net  increase  in  the  District  was  seven  hundred 
and  twenty-five  white  and  one  hundred  and  eight 
colored  members. 

Although  there  was  a  decrease  in  the  Bowling 
Green  District,  yet  there  was  great  cause  for  thanks- 
o-ivino-  in  several  charges  in  that  field.  On  the 
Greensburg  Circuit,  under  the  ministry  of  John  C. 
C.  Thompson,  a  holy  and  zealous  preacher,  many 
were  brought  from  darkness  to  light;  while  on  the 
Glasgow  Circuit,  to  which  John  Atkinson  and  James 
I.  George  were  appointed,  many  were  converted  and 
added  to  the  Church,  chiefly  under  the  labors  of  the 
junior  preacher — Mr.  Atkinson  having  remained  on 
the  circuit  but  a  short  time. 

The  Scottsville  Circuit  had  been  divided,  forming 
the  Scottsville  and  Bowling  Green  Circuits.  To 
these  two  charges  Zachariah  M.  Taylor  and  Albert 
Kelly  were  appointed.  At  the  same  time  Joel  Peak 
was  traveling  the  Burksvillc  Circuit,  and  Elihu 
Green  the  Wayne  Circuit.  In  all  these  charges 
there  were  "times  of  refreshing  from  the  presence 
of  the  Lord,"  although  there  were  no  extensive  re- 
*  Letter  from  Robinson  E.  Sidebottom. 


4 GO  We s t e r n    C  a  v  a  liehs. 

rivals  of  religion.  Wesley  GL  Montgomery,  on  the 
Columbia  Circuit,  witnessed  the  awakening  and  con- 
version of  many  souls. 

In  the  Hopkinsville  District,  Edward  Stevenson 
was  the  Presiding  Elder.  Although  an  itinerant 
preacher  since  1825,  this  was  his  first  appointment 
as  a  Presiding  Elder.  He  brought  to  this  important 
office  not  only  a  ripe  experience,  but  talents  of  a 
high  order  and  a  burning  zeal.  Entering  upon  his 
work  in  the  spirit  of  his  Master,  he  traveled  his 
extensive  District,  not  only  holding  his  quarterly- 
meetings,  but  preaching  everywhere  as  he  had  op- 
portunity. The  gospel  proclaimed  by  him  was  "  the 
power  of  God  unto  salvation."  Under  his  ministry 
sinners  were  awakened,  penitents  converted,  and  be- 
lievers sanctified.  The  District  was  soon  in  a  blaze. 
In  Franklin,  Russellville,  Hopkinsville,  Princeton, 
and  other  towns,  during  the  winter,  the  displays  of 
divine  power  were  extraordinary.  Hundreds  were 
added  to  the  Church. 

In  Russellville,  one  of  the  most  pleasant  and  re- 
fined villages  in  Southern  Kentucky,  Eli  B.  Crain 
was  stationed.  Methodism  had  been  planted  in  this 
community  at  an  early  day,  and  had  grown  and 
flourished  under  the  auspices  of  the  ablest  men  in 
the  Conference.  In  no  town  in  this  portion  of  the 
State  did  it  have  such  a  hold  upon  the  affections,  or 
occupy  so  commanding  an  eminence  in  the  confi- 
dence, of  the  people  as  in  Russellville. 

Eli  B.  Crain  was  born,  in  Mercer  county,  Ken- 
tucky, March  24, 1807.  When  quite  a  child  he  re- 
moved to  Barren  county,  and  was  placed  under  the 


Western   Cavaliers.  461 

care  of  James  Calp,  a  local  preacher,  in  Glasgow. 
Under  the  teachings  of  this  good  man  he  was  led  to 
reflect  seriously  on  the  subject  of  religion,  and  on 
the   19th  of  September,  1824,  at  a  camp-meeting 
held  at  Bethel,  he  was  converted  to  God.     His  call 
to  the  work  of  the  ministry  was  simultaneous  with 
his  conversion.     Without  the  advantages  of  even  an 
ordinary  education,  he  was  eager  to  warn  sinners  to 
flee  the  wrath  to  come,  and  availed  himself  of  every 
opportunity  to  persuade  his  fellow-men  to  turn  to 
God.     Endowed  with  an  intellect  of  a  high  order, 
and  with  an  eloquence  that  was  remarkably  per- 
suasive, and  with  a  burning  desire  to  save  souls,  he 
was  anxious  to  enter  the  itinerant  ranks  and  devote 
his  life  to  the  one  work  of  doing  good.     With  a 
constitution  naturally  delicate,  and  impaired  by  af- 
fliction, he  hesitated  to  offer  himself  to  the  Confer- 
ence, lest  he  might  prove  unequal  to  the  life  of  sacri- 
fice and  toil  incident  to  the  work  of  the  faithful 
itinerant,     For  nearly  two  years  he  traveled  under 
the  direction  of  George  W.   Taylor,  a  Presiding 
Elder;  but,  failing  in  health,  he  was  obliged  to  quit 
the  field. 

Eallying  his  strength,  in  1833  he  offered  himself 
to  the  Conference,  and  was  accepted.  His  first  ap- 
pointment was,  with  Jesse  Sutton,  to  the  Glasgow 
Circuit,  in  which  he  had  been  brought  up.  In  1834 
he  was  sent  to  the  Newcastle  Circuit,  where  he  re- 
mained two  years.  In  1836  his  appointment  was  to 
the  Shelby  Circuit,  to  which  he  was  returned  in  1837. 
In  the  several  charges  he  had  filled  he  was  deserv- 
edly popular  and  eminently  useful.     As  a  preacher 


462  Western    Cavaliers. 

he  occupied  a  commanding  eminence,  and  as  an  ex- 
horter  lie  had  but  few  peers  among  his  brethren. 
Simple-hearted,  good  and  true,  he  was  universally 
beloved.  It  was  while  he  had  charge  of  the  Shelby 
Circuit  that  we  made  his  acquaintance.  His  family 
resided  in  Shelby ville,  where  we  were  living — then  a 
youth,  preparing  to  enter  the  ministry.  Air.  Crain 
was  sick;  we  visited  him,  and,  at  his  request,  at- 
tended several  of  his  appointments  in  his  circuit, 
rather  to  inform  the  people  that  he  was  sick  than  to 
occupy  his  place.*  At  the  close  of  the  year  he  was 
placed  on  the  list  of  the  superannuated.  Unwilling 
to  be  idle,  he  returned  to  the  effective  ranks  in  1839, 
and  was  sent  to  the  Franklin  Circuit,  and  in  1840  to 
the  Georgetown  Circuit.  In  both  of  these  charges 
he  made  full  proof  of  his  ministry,  winning  many 
souls  to  Christ.  We  have  already  met  with  him  in 
Russellville,  where  he  was  appointed  in  1841.  Only 
a  few  weeks  elapsed  after  he  had  entered  upon  his 
work  before  there  were  indications  of  a  revival 
of  religion.  Commencing  with  his  first  quarterly- 
meeting,  the  services  were  protracted  from  day  to 
day,  and  then  from  week  to  week,  until  seventy-four 
persons  were  brought  to  Christ. 

The  preachers  on  the  Elkton  and  Logan  Circuit 
were  John  B.  Perry  and  Albert  H.  Redford. 

John  B.  Perry  was  born,  in  Belfast,  Ireland,  May 
23, 1813.  His  father  came  to  America  in  1816,  and 
settled  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  In  1830  John 
B.  Perry  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
and  >oon  afterward  found  "the  pearl  of  great  price." 
*This  was  our  first  work  as  an  itinerant  preacher. 


Western    Cavaliers.  463 

Before  he  was  nineteen  years  old  lie  was  licensed  to 
preach,  and  for  a  short  time  Labored  in  the  Phila- 
delphia City  Mission.  In  the  autumn  of  183b'  he 
came  to  Kentucky,  and  was  employed  by  William 
Gunn,  the  Presiding  Elder,  as  junior  preacher  on 
the  Newcastle  Circuit,  to  assist  Richard  Deering. 
It  was  while  he  traveled  on  this  circuit  that  we  ac- 
cepted an  invitation  to  accompany  him  to  several  of 
his  appointments.  At  the  Conference  of  1837  he 
was  admitted  on  trial  into  the  Kentucky  Conference, 
and  appointed  to  the  Shelby  Circuit.  In  1838  his 
Held  of  labor  was  the  Barboursville  Circuit,  in  the 
south-eastern  portion  of  the  State.  At  the  Confer- 
ence of  1839  he  was  sent  to  the  Hartford  Circuit, 
and  in  1840  to  the  Hopkinsville  Circuit.  In  1841 
he  was  appointed  to  the  Elkton  and  Logan  Circuit, 
with  Albert  H.  Redford  as  his  colleague. 

Associated  with  Mr.  Perry  in  the  work  of  the 
ministry,  we  had  every  opportunity  to  form  a  proper 
estimate  of  his  worth.  Fully  consecrated  to  the 
work  to  which  he  w^as  divinely  called,  he  devoted 
himself  to  it  with  a  oneness  of  purpose  worthy  a  true 
minister  of  ~Jesus  Christ.  In  his  character  there 
was  a  child-like  simplicity  that  attracted  the  atten- 
tion and  commanded  the  confidence  of  all  who  knew 
him.  He  wTas  an  Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  there 
was  no  guile.  As  a  preacher,  from  the  time  we  first 
heard  him,  he  occupied  a  commanding  eminence. 
He  read  but  fewT  books,  but  these  were  carefully  se- 
lected, and  were  read  well.  With  the  Bible  he  was 
perfectly  familiar,  and  from  its  sacred  treasury  drew 
"things  new  and  old."     His  preaching  was  plain, 


4G4  We  stern    Cavaliers. 

his  arguments  supported  by  the  word  of  God.  Ex- 
emplary in  his  deportment,  his  life  was  a  daily 
comment  on  the  religion  he  professed  and  taught. 
In  every  sense  an  itinerant  preacher,  we  never  heard 
him  express  a  preference  for  any  appointment,  nor 
an  unwillingness  to  serve  the  Church  in  any  field  to 
which  he  might  be  assigned. 

The  Elkton  and  Logan  Circuit  embraced  the  fer- 
tile lands  of  Todd  and  Logan  counties,  and  contained 
a  community  distinguished  for  their  intelligence  and 
culture.  ~No  circuit  in  the  Conference  was  blessed 
to  a  greater  degree  with  efficient  local  preachers  than 
was  this.  Caleb  K  Bell,  John  P.  Moore,  Jordan  T. 
C.  Moore,  William  S.  Evans,  and  Warren  M.  Pitts, 
occupied  prominent  positions  in  the  local  ranks. 
"Warren  M.  Pitts  had  served  the  circuit  as  a  supply 
the  previous  year;  indeed,  although  a  local  preacher 
in  name,  he  was  an  itinerant  in  reality.  With  nat- 
ural gifts  of  a  high  order,  and  with  an  anxiety  to  do 
good,  he  had  filled  several  appointments  under  the 
direction  of  Presiding  Elders.  In  1835,  soon  after 
his  conversion,  he  served  the  Bowling  Green  Circuit, 
and  in  1836  the  Logan  Circuit.  He  traveled  on  the 
Greenville  Circuit  in  1837,  on  the  Nashville  Circuit 
in  1839,  and  in  1840  on  the  Elkton  and  Logan  Cir- 
cuit. In  all  these  charges  his  ministry  was  honored 
and  blessed  in  the  conversion  of  souls. 

In  entering  this  interesting  field,  the  preachers 
were  confronted  with  many  things  to  discourage 
them.  Although  portions  of  the  circuit  had  from 
time  to  time  been  blessed  with  revivals,  there  had 
been  no  extensive  ingathering  into  the  Church  for 


Western   Cavaliers.  465 

several  years.  Campbellisra  was  at  the  height  of  its 
influence.  With  an  energy  which  we  have  seldom 
seen  displayed  it  was  pushing  its  conquests,  and, 
under  able  "evangelists,"  doing  every  thing  in  its 
power  to  make  "disciples."  Experimental  religion 
was  attacked  from  its  pulpits,  and  the  "mourners' 
bench"  made  the  subject  of  ridicule.  The  pro- 
claimed of  this  theory  visited  every  neighborhood, 
and  with  great  zeal  endeavored  to  turn  away  from 
the  truth  the  unwary  and  unsuspecting. 

The  Baptist  Church,  too,  in  this  section,  was  not 
friendly  to  Methodism.  The  differences  between 
these  two  denominations  of  Christians,  in  reference 
to  their  teachings  on  baptism,  had  been  arrayed 
before  the  people.  The  Baptist  Church  was  strong 
and  influential.  Baptist  preachers  of  more  than  or- 
dinary ability  had  boldly  attacked  the  peculiar  views 
of  Methodism,  as  to  "Who  are  the  proper  subjects 
for  Christian  baptism? "  and  "  What  is  the  scriptural 
mode?"  In  these  attacks  Campbellism,  in  perfect 
harmony  with  them  on  these  questions,  had  joined. 
But  little  attention  had  been  paid  to  these  disput- 
ants— the  Methodist  Church  deeming  it  better,  for 
the  peace  of  the  Churches,  to  decline  any  participa- 
tion in  the  controversy.  It  was  under  these  circum- 
stances that  John  B.  Perry  and  Albert  II.  Bedford 
commenced  their  labors  on  the  circuit. 

The  winter  passed  with  but  little,  if  any,  change. 
The  congregations  were  small,  and,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  about  twenty  persons  who  had  joined  the 
Church,  no  special  interesl  \\ ras  manifested  on  the 
subject  of  religion.  On  the  12th  of  March  the 
20* 


466  Western   Cavaliers. 

second  quarterly-meeting  commenced  in  the  town 
of  Elkton,  and  was  protracted  for  seventeen  days. 
The  pulpit  was  filled,  during  the  time,  chiefly  by 
Edward  Stevenson,  the  Presiding  Elder,  and  John 
B.  Perry,  the  preacher  in  charge.  About  sixty  per- 
sons were  converted,  and  forty -eight  joined  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  Among  those  who 
made  a  profession  of  religion  and  joined  the  Church 
were  a  gentleman  in  the  eighty-fifth  year  of  his  age, 
his  grandson  and  wife,  and  great-granddaughter. 

During  the  progress  of  the  meeting  a  prominent 
preacher  in  the  Campbellite  Church  visited  Elkton, 
and  preached  in  the  court-house  at  such  hours  as 
were  not  occupied  by  the  Methodist  Church.  The 
revival  did  not  please  him;  but  his  arguments  and 
his  ridicule  were  alike  harmless. 

The  revival  in  Elkton  was  only  the  beginning  of 
a  rich  harvest,  in  which  many  were  brought  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  truth.  A  religious  influence  went 
out  in  every  direction,  until  hundreds  were  brought 
to  Christ. 

A  few  weeks  later  the  junior  preacher  was  re- 
quested by  the  Church  to  preach,  in  different  parts 
of  the  circuit,  sermons  on  the  subjects  and  mode  of 
Christian  baptism.  In  compliance  with  this  request, 
early  in  May,  he  preached  a  sermon  in  Keysburg, 
at  the  close  of  which  he  baptized  seventeen  children, 
the  father  of  one  of  them  being  a  Baptist,  but  the 
mother  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Church.  His 
next  appointment  was  announced  for  Pleasant 
Grove,  to  be  filled  on  the  third  Sabbath  in  June; 
but,  previous  to  this  time,  he  was  requested  to  preach 


Western    Cavaliers.  467 

on  the  same  subject  at  Bell's  Chapel,  one  of  the  most 
prominent  appointments  on  the  circuit. 

The  church  was  crowded  to  its  utmost  capacity, 
and  many  persons  were  standing  at  the  doors  and 
windows,  outside  the  house.  Soon  after  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  text  a  stranger  walked  into  the 
church,  seated  himself  in  the  altar,  and,  with  paper 
and  pencil,  began  to  take  notes  of  the  sermon.  It 
was  Elder  Robert  "Williams,  of  Harmony,  Ten- 
nessee, an  able  polemic  in  the  Baptist  Church.  At 
the  close  of  the  sermon  he  challenged  the  young 
preacher  to  discuss  with  him  the  points  at  issue,  at 
Pleasant  Grove.  The  challenge  was  accepted,  and 
the  22d  of  June  appointed  as  the  time  for  the  de- 
bate. 

Several  years  had  elapsed  since  the  question  of 
baptism  had  been  openly  discussed  in  this  portion 
of  the  State,  by  a  Pedobaptist  preacher.  Fifteen 
years  before,  John  Johnson  had  met  Jeremiah  Var- 
deman,  a  celebrated  Baptist  preacher,  in  Hopkins- 
ville  and  in  other  places,  and  compelled  him,  by  the 
force  of  truth,  to  retire  from  Southern  Kentucky. 
During  this  long  period  Methodism  had  reposed 
upon  the  laurels  it  had  won. 

No  event  had  transpired  in  this  community  for 
many  years  that  excited  so  much  interest  as  did  this 
discussion.  The  concourse  that  attended  it  was  im- 
mense. The  debate  was  to  continue  for  several 
days;  but,  on  the  afternoon  of  the  second  day,  Mr. 
Williams,  without  consulting  his  opponent,  an- 
nounced to  the  audience  that,  so  far  as  he  was  con- 
cerned,   the   discussion  would  close  on  that   day. 


468  Western   Cavaliers. 

Remonstrance,  argument,  appeal,  were  alike  una- 
vailing to  induce  him  to  remain  longer. 

At  the  close  of  the  year  there  was  a  net  increase 
in  the  circuit  of  two  hundred  and  two  white  and 
sixty-one  colored  members. 

In  other  portions  of  the  District  there  was  a  line 
religious  influence.  The  General  Minutes  show  an 
increase  in  this  District  of  ninety-eight  white  mem- 
bers and  a  decrease  of  one  hundred  and  twenty-six 
colored  members.  The  increase  was  much  larger. 
The  transfer  of  the  Morganfield  and  Henderson 
Circuit  to  the  Hardinsburg  District  makes  a  differ- 
ence of  several  hundred. 

In  the  Barboursville  District  the  increase  was  two 
hundred  and  four  white  and  thirty-five  colored  mem- 
bers. The  Barboursville,  Williamsburg,  Prestons- 
burg,  and  Louisa  Circuits,  show  an  increase;  in  the 
other  charges  there  are  fewer  members  than  were 
reported  the  previous  year. 

The  entire  increase  in  the  Conference  was  five 
thousand  two  hundred  and  sixty-seven  white  and 
one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  eighty-three  col- 
ored members. 

In  that  portion  of  Kentucky  belonging  to  the 
Memphis  Conference  the  religious  awakening  was 
equal  to  that  in  any  other  section  of  the  State. 
The  Paducah  Circuit  had  been  divided,  and  the 
flourishing  town  of  Paducah  made  an  independent 
charge.  To  this  station  James  Young  was  ap- 
pointed. At  a  meeting  held  in  Paducah,  early  in 
December,  twelve  persons  joined  the  Church  and 
eight  professed  religion.     During  the  winter  there 


Western    Cavaliers.  469 

was  considerable  religious  interest,  from  time  to  time. 
The  quarterly-meeting  which  was  held  in  February 
was  a  season  of  refreshing.  Thomas  Smith,  the 
Presiding  Elder,  was  present,  and  preached  with 
great  power.  At  this  meeting  twenty-four  were 
added  to  the  Church,  and  ten  were  happily  con- 
verted. The  Hickman,  Paducah,  and  Waclesboro 
Circuits  were  in  a  continual  blaze.  John  S.  Wil- 
liams and  William  E.  Rogers,  on  the  Hickman  Cir- 
cuit; James  M.  Major  and  John  A.  C.  Manly,  on  the 
Paducah  Circuit;  and  Alexander  C.  Chisholm  and 
William  H.  Seat,  on  the  Wadesboro  Circuit,  labored 
with  diligence  and  success.  In  a  letter  to  the  South- 
tvestern  Christian  Advocate,  dated  September  23, 1842, 
Thomas  Smith,  the  Presiding  Elder,  writes:  "We 
are  now  in  the  midst  of  the  most  glorious  revival  I 
have  ever  witnessed.  In  the  bounds  of  this  District 
there  have  been,  the  present  year,  about  two  thou- 
sand souls  converted  to  God  and  added  to  the  Meth- 
odist Episcopal  Church.  The  aged  and  the  young 
have  been  brought  in.  One  man  said  to  be  one  hun- 
dred and  five  years  old  was  powerfully  converted  to 
God.  The  wise  and  sage  philosopher,  with  the  hum- 
ble African,  has  found  peace  in  believing,  and  the 
work  is  still  increasing.  We  have  but  little  opposi- 
tion; all  heads,  hands,  and  hearts  unite  in  carrying 
on  the  glorious  work.  It  would  delight  }tou  to  wit- 
ness the  glorious  work,  as  it  moves  on  to  victory — 
to  see  the  wily  politician,  the  crafty  lawyer,  the  stern 
judge,  the  industrious  planter,  the  busy  merchant, 
the  towering  orator,  the  military  chieftain,  with  the 
young  men  and  maidens,  all  coming  to  Prince  Im- 


470  Western   Cavaliers. 

manuel,  and  passing  on  their  way  to  the  rest  that 
remaineth  to  the  people  of  God." 

The  net  increase  in  this  portion  of  Kentucky  was 
nine  hundred  and  seventy-nine  white  and  twenty- 
three  colored — making  the  total  increase  in  the  State 
six  thousand  two  hundred  and  forty-six  white  and  one 
thousand  eight  hundred  and  six  colored. 


Western   Cavaliers.  471 


CHAPTER  XL 

FEOM  THE  SESSION  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CONFERENCE  OF 
1842  TO  THE  CONFERENCE  OF  1843 

Saw  ye  not  the  cloud  arise, 

Little  as  a  human  hand  ? 
Now  it  spreads  along  the  skies, 

Hangs  o'er  all  the  thirsty  land: 
Lo !  the  promise  of  a  shower 

Drops  already  from  above; 
But  the  Lord  will  shortly  pour 

All  the  Spirit  of  his  love. 

THE  Kentucky  Annual  Conference  assembled  in 
the  Old  Medical  Hall,  in  the  city  of  Lexington, 
on  the  morning  of  the  14th  of  September,  1842. 

Bishop  Waugh  was  present  and  presided  during 
the  session  of  the  Conference. 

Thomas  N".  Ealston  was  elected  Secretary,  and 
William  M.  Crawford  Assistant  Secretary. 

Benjamin  T.  Crouch  and  George  "W.  Brush  were 
appointed  the  Committee  on  Public  Worship. 

John  Christian  Harrison,  Hartwell  J.  Perry,  and 
Nathanael  II .  Lee,  were  appointed  Stewards  of  the 
Conference. 

George  W.  Brush  and  James  D.  Holding  were  ap- 
pointed  the  Committee  on  Memoirs. 


472  Western    Cavaliers. 

John  Tevis,  George  W.  Brush,  unci  Carlisle  Bab- 
bitt, were  appointed  the  Committee  on  Missions. 

Hubbard  H.  Kavanaugh,  Edward  Stevenson,  and 
Gilby  Kelly,  were  appointed  a  committee  to  prepare 
a  Pastoral  Address  "to  the  members  and  friends  of 
the  Church." 

At  this  session  of  the  Kentucky  Conference,  Wil- 
liam C.  Dandy,  Samuel  L.  Robertson,  George  W. 
Smiley,  Jas.  H.  Dennis,  Hiram  T.  Downard,  Samuel 
D.  Baldwin,  Isham  R.  Finley,  Learner  B.  Davison, 
Henry  M.  Linney,  George  Hancock,  James  Kyle, 
John  Bier,  Thomas  H.  Lynch,  Josiah  L.  Kemp, 
Davjd  Wells,  William  Ah  reus,  John  Page,  John 
Vanpelt,  George  Taylor,  and  Allen  McLaughlin, 
were  admitted  on  trial. 

The  Kentucky  Conference  has  but  seldom  received 
on  trial  a  class  of  preachers  equal  in  talent  to  the 
present. 

Of  those  who  were  admitted  at  the  previous  Con- 
ference, William  M.  Humphrey,  William  H.  Kim- 
berlin,  Charles  Duncan,  Mitchell  Land,  William 
Conway,  and  James  J.  Williams,  retired  from  the 
itinerant  service,  the  most  of  them  on  account  of  ill 
health. 

Albery  L.  Alderson  and  Absalom  Woolliscroft 
located. 

Thomas  Waring,  George  W.  Fagg,  Stephen  Har- 
ber,  Zadok  B.  Thaxton,  John  Tevis,  John  Denham, 
James  Ward,  George  S.  Savage,  Peter  Taylor,  and 
Wesley  G.  Montgomery,  were  placed  on  the  list  of 
the  superannuated. 

Albery  L.  Alderson,  who  located  this  year,  was 


Western    Cavaliers.  473 

one  of  the  ablest  preachers  in  the  Conference.  We 
have  no  record  of  the  date  of  either  his  birth  or 
conversion.  He  entered  the  itinerant  ranks  in  1833, 
and  was  appointed  to  the  Wayne  Circuit,  with  James 
King.  In  1834  he  was  sent  to  Bowling  Green  Cir- 
cuit, as  the  colleague  of  John  Redman.  In  1835  he 
was  appointed  to  the  Henderson  Circuit,  and  in  1836 
to  the  Madison ville  Circuit.  He  located  in  1837. 
He  remained  in  a  local  sphere  only  one  year,  when 
he  was  readmitted  and  appointed  to  the  Elizabeth- 
town  Circuit.  In  1839  he  was  placed  on  the  list  of 
supernumerary  preachers,  where  he  remained  until 
he  located,  in  1842. 

From  the  time  Mr.  Alderson  entered  the  ministry 
he  took  rank  with  the  first  preachers  in  the  Confer- 
ence. An  untiring  student,  without  the  advantages 
of  more  than  an  ordinary  education  in  early  life,  he 
became  not  only  a  complete  master  in  English  lit- 
erature, but  a  thorough  Greek  scholar.  Familiar 
with  the  Bible — its  doctrines,  its  duties,  its  expe- 
rience— he  unfolded  its  beauties,  bringing  from  its 
sacred  treasury  "things  new  and  old."  As  a  po- 
lemic he  had  no  superior  among  his  brethren.  In 
the  field  of  religious  disputation  he  was  a  giant. 
No  opponent  ever  successfully  met  him  in  debate. 
With  signal  ability  he  wielded  the  weapon  of  truth, 
and  exposed  error  and  false  doctrine,  in  whatever 
garb  presented.  We  have  heard  him  when,  with  a 
calmness  as  gentle  and  soft  as  the  evening  zephyr, 
he  discussed  his  subject;  and  we  have  listened  to 
him  when,  rising  to  the  loftiest  heights  of  oratory, 
he  held  spell-bound  and  entranced  the  vast  assem- 


474  W estern   Cavaliers. 

blage  that  sat  before  him.  Beneath  his  mighty  ap- 
peals entire  audiences  were  often  moved,  and  many 
resolved  upon  a  better  life.  In  the  pulpit  he  had 
but  few  equals.  Endowed  with  an  intellect  of  the 
highest  order,  with  a  fertile  imagination  and  a  mind 
richly  stored  with  religious  truth,  thousands  hung 
in  breathless  silence  upon  his  lips  while  he  delivered 
his  message  of  life — of  death.  Under  his  faithful 
ministry  hundreds  were  brought  to  Christ  and  made 
happy  in  a  Saviour's  love.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that 
such  a  man — warm-hearted,  zealous,  devoted  to  the 
noble  work  to  which  God  had  called  him — should 
be  compelled  by  any  cause  to  retire  from  the  active 
service.  His  health,  however,  was  unequal  to  the 
duties  of  his  high  and  holy  office. 

The  name  of  George  S.  Savage  appears  this  year 
on  the  list  of  superannuated  preachers.  He  was 
born  in  Vanceburg,  Lewis  county,  Kentucky,  Feb- 
ruary 2, 1814.  He  was  baptized  in  infancy  by  Wil- 
liam McMahan,  and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  under  the  ministry  of  Samuel  Yeach,  in 
Germantown,  Kentucky,  December  7,  1827,  and  on 
the  28th  of  May,  1828,  in  the  same  village,  was  hap- 
pily and  powerfully  converted  to  God. 

Believing  it  to  be  his  duty  to  preach  the  gospel, 
he  was  licensed  by  William  Adams,  in  Frankfort, 
Kentucky,  September  5,  1835.  At  the  Conference 
for  that  year,  held  in  Shelbyville,  he  was  admitted  on 
trial.  Before  entering  the  Conference  Mr.  Savage 
had  never  attempted  either  to  preach  or  to  exhort. 
In  becoming  a  preacher  he  met  with  opposition  at 
home.     His  father,  who  was  not  a  Christian,  was 


Western   Cavaliers.  475 

unwilling  that  his  son  should  enter  the  ministry, 
and  especially  to  become  a  traveling  preacher.* 

Mr.  Savage  was  appointed  to  the  Versailles  Cir- 
cuit, as  the  colleague  of  the  gifted  Thomas  K.  Ral- 
ston. A  serious  attack  of  bilious  fever  prevented 
him  from  entering  upon  his  work  until  near  the 
last  of  October.  His  first  sermon  on  the  circuit,  and 
the  second  he  had  attempted  to  preach,  was  deliv- 
ered in  Jessamine  county,  at  the  "Pocket."  His 
text  was  "  Pray  without  ceasing,"  f  and  it  was  cer- 
tainly an  appropriate  one.  Mr.  Savage  expected  to 
meet  the  preacher  in  charge,  that  evening,  in  Nich- 
olasville.  On  his  way  thither  he  overtook  a  plainly- 
dressed  countryman,  who  accosted  him,  and  said: 

"You  are  the  young  brother  who  preached  for  us 
to-day,  at  the  < Pocket?'" 

"I  preached  there,"  was  the  modest  reply  of  the 
young  preacher. 

"  I  think,  my  young  brother,  you  had  better  go 
home.   I  do  n't  think  you  will  ever  make  a  preacher." 

Feeling  the  responsibility  of  the  work  to  which 
he  had  pledged  his  energies  and  his  life,  and  con- 
scious perhaps  that  he  had  failed  to  fulfill  the  ex- 
pectations of  those  to  whom  he  had  ministered,  the 
words  of  the  stranger  were  calculated  to  dampen 
his  ardor  and  impair  his  zeal.  .  However,  he  met 
with  Mr.  Ralston  that  evening,  who  offered  to  him 
words  of  cheer,  and  encouraged  him  to  prosecute 
the  duties  assigned  him. 

Although  he  occasionally  met  with  discourage- 


*  Three  years  later  George  S.  Savage  received  his  father 
the  Church,     f  1  Thess.  v.  17. 


into 


476  Western    Cavaliers. 

mcnts,  }^et  the  year  was  fruitful  in  experience  and 
blessings.  His  journal  contains  the  following  rec- 
ord: "Traveled  two  thousand  three  hundred  and 
twenty -three  miles;  preached  two  hundred  and 
twenty -five  sermons;  received  fifty  into  Society: 
read  over  fifteen  thousand  pages;  obtained  thirty- 
three  subscribers  for  the  Advocate;  sold  a  good  many 
books;  did  not  miss  an  appointment,  or  experience 
an  hour's  confinement  from  sickness.  To  God  be 
all  the  glory!" 

His  second  appointment  was  to  the  Minerva  Cir- 
cuit, as  the  colleague  of  Martin  L.  Eads.  The  min- 
istry of  these  zealous  laborers  was  greatly  blessed. 
Dover,  a  small  village  on  the  Ohio  River,  was  dis- 
tinguished for  the  wickedness  of  the  community. 
Bishop  Morris,  then  residing  in  Cincinnati,  visited 
this  village  during  the  winter,  and  preached  the 
gospel.  The  simplicity  of  his  style,  and  his  great 
earnestness,  elicited  the  complimentary  remark  from 
a  plain  man,  "Why,  the  Bishop  is  just  like  other 
men."  At  a  meeting  held  at  this  place,  in  which 
John  Collins— often  called  the  St.  John  of  Meth- 
odism— bore  an  active  part,  many  were  brought  to 
Christ.  The  entire  community  was  aroused,  awak- 
ened sinners  cried  for  mercy,  and  shouts  of  triumph 
from  souls  new-born  to  God  went  out  upon  the  air. 
It  was  during  this  meeting  that  Campbellism,  be- 
coming alarmed,  resolved  to  bring  its  forces  to  bear 
against  the  advances  that  Methodism  was  making. 
Under  the  leadership  of  two  of  their  preachers,  one 
hundred  or  more  marched  into  the  town  and  began  a 
series  of  meetings.     They  remained,  however,  only 


Western   Cavaliers.  477 

a  few  tlavs,  and  then  left,  after  administering  the 
ordinance  of  immersion  to  a  few  persons,  in  the 
Ohio  River,  having  cut  the  ice  to  do  so. 

It  was  Sunday  morning.  A  rough,  uncouth  man, 
distinguished  for  his  profanity,  who  was  engaged  in 
hauling  logs  to  the  mill,  while  passing  the  place  of 
worship  made  all  the  noise  he  could  for  the  purpose 
of  disturbing  the  service.  The  congregation  was 
singing: 

Nay,  but  I  yield,  I  yield ! 

I  can  hold  out  no  more : 
I  sink,  by  dying  love  compelled, 
And  own  thee  conqueror ! 

These  words  caught  his  ear,  and  rang  like  a  funeral- 
knell:  they  may  have  been  familiar  to  him.  He 
could  not  rest,  day  nor  night.  At  length,  sad  and 
uneasy,  he  came  one  evening  to  church,  and,  taking 
Mr.  Savage  aside,  explained  to  him  his  feelings,  and 
how  he  happened  to  become  awakened.  Words  of 
comfort  were  whispered,  and  he  was  soon  happily 
converted.  A  new  house  of  worship  was  erected 
during  the  year,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven 
persons  were  added  to  the  Church. 

The  two  years  of  active  service  in  the  itinerant 
ministry  had  greatly  impaired  the  health  of  Mr. 
Savage,  and  after  his  admission  into  full  connection 
he  requested  and  was  granted  a  location.  Besides, 
it  was  his  purpose  that  the  ministry  should  be  the 
one  great  business  of  his  life,  and  he  desired  to  make 
a  more  thorough  [(reparation  for  its  arduous  and  re- 
sponsible duties.  He  remained  in  a  local  sphere 
until  the  autumn  of  1839,  when  he  was  readmitted, 


478  Western   Cavaliers. 

and  appointed  to  the  Grermantown  Circuit,  as  junior 
preacher.  The  preacher  in  charge  failing  to  come 
to  the  work,  the  entire  duties  of  the  pastorate  de- 
volved on  Mr.  Savage.  The  circuit  was  a  large  one, 
having  nineteen  appointments,  to  be  filled  every 
three  weeks.  With  greatly  impaired  health,  he 
prosecuted  his  labors.  However,  it  was  not  until 
the  winter  and  spring  had  passed  that  any  extraor- 
dinary displays  of  divine  power  were  realized. 

On  Sunday,  June  7, 1840,  Joseph  M.  Trimble^  Pro- 
fessor of  Languages  in  Augusta  College,  preached 
in  the  Shannon  Church.  The  sermon  was  one  of 
great  power.  Six  persons  joined  the  Church,  and 
the  meeting  was  protracted  during  the  week.  On 
the  following  Sabbath  forty  persons  enlisted  under 
the  banner  of  the  cross.  "The  power  of  God  came 
down  upon  the  congregation.  If  the  baptism  of  the 
Holy  Ghost  was  not  visible,  it  was  most  sensibly  felt. 
The  faces  of  many  shone  as  the  faces  of  angels,  and 
some  could  scarcely  realize  whether  they  were  in  the 
body  or  whether  they  were  out  of  the  body.  The 
whole  community  was  stirred  on  the  subject  of  re- 
ligion. During  the  meeting  one  hundred  and  four- 
teen persons,  embracing  all  ages  and  classes,  joined 
the  Church."*  Among  those  converted  at  this 
meeting  was  Joseph  W.  Eidgell,  afterward  a  preacher 
of  the  gospel.  The  influence  of  this  meeting  ex- 
tended to  other  portions  of  the  circuit. f     During 

*  Letter  from  the  Rev.  George  S.  Savage  to  the  author. 

T.U  tli-  m. -.ting  at  Shannon  Mr.  Savage  was  assisted  by  his 
uncles,  James  and  Francis  A.  Savage  Samuel  Veach,  Calvin 
W.  Lewis,  and  Joseph  M.  Trimble. 


Western    Cavaliers.  479 

the  year  three  hundred  and  seven  persons  joined  the 
Church. 

In  1840  his  field  of  labor  was  the  Shannon  Cir- 
cuit, being  a  portion  of  the  circuit  he  had  traveled 
the  previous  year.  Although  his  health  was  still 
feeble,  with  untiring  energy  he  toiled  and  labored  to 
accomplish  good. 

In  Sardis,  a  small  village  in  his  charge,  there  was 
a  gracious  revival  of  God's  work.  Such  was  the 
influence  of  this  meeting,  and  such  the  manifesta- 
tions of  the  Holy  Spirit,  that  persons  were  converted 
in  the  class-room,  in  the  prayer-meeting,  during 
preaching,  and  on  their  way  to  and  from  the  church. 
More  than  fifty  persons  found  the  "pearl  of  great 
price,"  and  during  the  year  one  hundred  and  twenty- 
five  persons  enlisted  in  the  service. 

Unable  longer  to  perform  the  active  duties  of  an 
itinerant  preacher,  in  1841  he  was  placed  on  the  list 
of  the  superannuated,  where  we  find  him  in  1842. 

We  have  reported  for  missions  one  thousand  four 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  dollars  and  sixty-three  cents, 
less  than  half  the  amount  collected  the  previous 
year,  which  was  three  thousand  seven  hundred  and 
twenty-eight  dollars. 

Of  those  who  had  received  appointments  in  1841, 
two  had  fallen  at  their  post.  Peter  0.  Meeks  and 
Edwin  Roberts  bad  answered  the  roll-call  above. 

Peter  O.  Meeks  was  born  April  16,  1815.  He 
embraced  religion  and  joined  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  in  1834.  He  spent  several  years  as  a 
student  in  Augusta  College,  where  he  graduated 
with  great  credit,     In  1838  he  was  admitted  on  trial 


480  Western    Cavaliers. 

into  the  Kentucky  Conference,  and  appointed  to  the 
Fleming  Circuit,  as  the  colleague  of  James  Ward. 
In  1839  he  was  stationed,  with  Richard  Deering,  at 
Danville  and  Harrodsburg,  and  in  1840  was  sent  to 
the  Barboursville  Circuit.  His  last  field  of  labor 
was  the  Versailles  Circuit,  where  we  find  him  in 
1841. 

But  few  young  men  in  the  ministry  promised 
greater  usefulness  to  the  Church  than  did  Peter  O. 
Meeks.  From  the  time  he  was  converted  he  felt  it 
to  be  his  duty  to  devote  himself  to  the  ministry,  and 
his  years  of  toil  and  study  in  college  had  reference 
to  this  responsible  work.  In  the  helds  he  had  oc- 
cupied he  was  useful  and  beloved.  In  his  inter- 
course with  society  he  was  kind  and  courteous,  and 
as  a  Christian  zealous  and  devoted.  In  the  pulpit 
and  in  the  performance  of  his  pastoral  duties  he  ex- 
hibited that  singleness  of  purpose  essential  to  suc- 
cess. Before  he  reached  the  meridian  of  life  he  was 
cut  down,  lie  died  in  the  early  part  of  the  year,  in 
hope  of  a  blessed  immortality. 

Edwin  Roberts  was  born,  in  Bedford  county,  Vir- 
ginia, January  31,  1816.  His  parents  were  John 
and  Mary  Roberts.  His  mother  was  a  member  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  a  woman  of  deep 
and  consistent  piety,  who  endeavored  to  instil  into 
the  mind  of  her  son  the  principles  of  religion,  while 
he  was  yet  a  child.  Listening  to  the  instructions  of 
his  pious  mother,  Edwin  Roberts  became  impressed 
with  the  importance  of  religion,  and  at  ten  years  of 
age  reflected  seriously  in  reference  to  his  future  state. 
From  time  to  time,  at  intervals,  he  was  awakened 


Western    Cavaliers.  481 

to  a  sense  of  his  condition  as  a  sinner,  but  refused 
to  listen  to  the  warning  voice  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
until  he  reached  his  twentieth  year.  In  the  mean- 
time, his  lather  had  removed  to  Tennessee,  and  set- 
tled in  Montgomery  county,  where  he  was  converted 
July  6,  1835. 

Brought  up  in  the  Methodist  Church,  Mr.  Roberts 
identified  his  fortunes  with  that  Communion;  and 
believing  it  to  be  his  duty  to  call  sinners  to  repent- 
ance, he  resolved  to  become  an  itinerant.  His  early 
education  had  been  confined  to  the  elementary 
branches,  but  by  close  study  at  home,  and  by  teach- 
ing a  small  country-school,  he  had  greatly  improved 
his  mind;  yet  such  was  his  diffidence  that  he  felt 
reluctant  to  enter  upon  a  work  involving  such  grave 
responsibilities.  "Woe  is  unto  me,  if  I  preach  not 
the  gospel!"  fully  awakened  him  to  a  sense  of  duty, 
and  in  the  autumn  of  1836  he  was  admitted  on  trial 
into  the  Kentucky  Conference. 

His  first  appointment  was  to  the  Hopkinsville 
Circuit,  as  the  colleague  of  James  H.  Brooking.  In 
1837  he  was  sent  to  the  Morganfield  Circuit,  to 
which  he  was  reappointed  in  1838.  At  the  Confer- 
ence of  1839  his  field  of  labor  was  the  Versailles 
Circuit,  where  he  remained  for  two  years.  In  1841 
he  was  sent  to  Richmond,  where  he  closed  his  labors 
and  his  life.* 

Few  young  men  have  preached  the  gospel  who 


*His  appointment  was  to  the  Madison  Circuit,  with  Robinson 

E.  Sidebottom  as  his  colleague.     The  Presiding  Elder  divided 

the  circuit,  and  formed  Richmond  Station,  in  which  he  placed 

Mr.  Roberts,  while  Mr.  Sidebottom  had  charge  of  the  circuit. 

21 


482  Western    Cavaliers. 

have  achieved  so  much  in  so  short  a  period  as  did 
Edwin  Roberts.  From  the  time  he  entered  upon 
the  work  of  the  Christian  ministry  he  devoted  him- 
self to  it  with  uncompromising  energy  and  untiring 
zeal.  He  had  fully  counted  the  cost,  and,  undaunted 
by  sacrifice,  privation,  and  suffering,  resolved  to 
meet  the  responsibilities  incident  to  his  calling,  and 
to  attain  success.  In  his  first  field  of  labor  crowds 
thronged  to  hear  him  preach  and  to  catch  the  words 
of  invitation  as  they  fell  from  his  burning  lips.  His 
calm,  clear  arguments,  his  earnest  appeals,  and  the 
persuasive  power  of  his  eloquence,  brought  many  to 
the  altars  of  the  Church  and  to  Christ. 

On  the  Morganfield  Circuit,  he  was  like  a  flaming 
fire.  Wherever  he  preached  the  Church  was  aroused 
from  its  apathy,  sinners  were  awakened,  and  peni- 
tents converted  to  God.  For  two  years  his  strong 
and  forcible  sermons,  his  powerful  exhortations,  his 
earnest  appeals,  and  his  pure  and  holy  life,  were  be- 
fore the  people  of  Union  and  Henderson  counties, 
admonishing  them  of  sin,  and  urging  them  to  a 
better  and  brighter  inheritance.  From  here  we  fol- 
low him  to  the  Versailles  Circuit,  where  for  two 
years  he  preaches  with  a  power  and  success  that 
scarcely  find  a  parallel  in  the  annals  of  the  past. 
During  the  first  year  in  which  he*preached  in  that 
charge  more  than  four  hundred  persons  were  brought 
to  Christ  through  his  ministry,  while  in  the  sur- 
rounding country  he  was  the  honored  instrument 
in  bringing  hundreds  from  the  paths  of  sin.  He 
seldom  preached  a  sermon,  or  made  an  appeal,  but 
some  wanderer  came  back  to  God.     In  labors  abun- 


Western   Cavaliers.  483 

dant,  he  took  no  rest,  knew  no  ease,  but  gave  time, 
talent,  energy,  all  to  the  glorious  cause  to  which  he 
was  pledged.  His  journal,  now  before  us,  shows  an 
amount  of  labor  almost  uneqnalcd,  and  a  devotion 
and  zeal  that  no  opposition  could  dampen.  Day 
and  night  found  him  at  his  post.  At  every  point 
where  his  Divine  Master  bade  him  assault,  he  re- 
solved, with  God's  help,  to  conqner.  Impediments 
and  obstacles  formed  no  part  of  his  creed,  but  served 
only  to  nerve  him  for  the  contest.  In  all  his  efforts 
to  advance  the  Redeemer's  kingdom  his  piety  shone 
with  undiminished  luster.  In  every  department  of 
ministerial  work  he  excelled.  Whether  in  the  pul- 
pit, in  the  altar,  in  the  social  circle,  or  mingling 
with  the  community,  he  recognized  it  as  his  chief 
business  to  persuade  men  to  be  reconciled  to  God. 

He  entered  upon  his  work  in  Richmond  in  due 
time.  We  find  the  following  entry  in  his  journal: 
^  "Friday,  October  8.— Packed  up  and  left.  It  was  a 
time  of  sorrow  with  my  wife  and  sisters.  They  had 
been  left,  when  small,  without  a  mother;  had  grown 
up  together,  and  now  they  must  part.  Well,  well, 
we  all  have  to  part  in  this  life;  but  there  is  a  place 
where  we  shall  part  no  more." 

The  next  evening  found  him  in  Richmond,  and  on 
Sunday,  the  11th,  a  crowded  audience  assembled  at 
the  court-house  to  hear  the  words  of  life  from  this 
faithful  evangelist.  At  night  he  preached  in  the 
Baptist  Church. 

From  this  period  there  was  no  abatement  in  his 
labors.  In  Richmond,  at  Bethel,  at  Ccnterville,  at 
Bethlehem,   at    Providence,  he  lifted  his   warning 


484  Western    Cavaliers. 

voice,  and  many  turned  to  God.  He  holds  a  meet- 
ing at  Lancaster,  where,  assisted  by  John  H.  Linn 
and  Richard  Deering,  of  whom  he  speaks  with  great 
tenderness,  forty-nine  white  and  thirty  colored  per- 
sons unite  with  the  Church.  During  the  winter 
every  moment  is  employed  in  study,  in  preaching, 
in  exhorting,  in  pastoral  visiting,  or  in  something 
by  which  the  cause  of  the  Redeemer  may  be  ad- 
vanced. In  his  journal  he  makes  frequent  mention 
of  Robinson  E.  Sidebottom,  his  fellow-laborer,  to 
whom  he  was  greatly  attached. 

On  the  first  day  of  January,  1842,  he  makes  the 
following  entry  in  his  journal: 

"This  is  a  new  year;  the  old  one  is  gone.  I  feel 
like  commencing  a  new  course  of  piety.  I  feel  the 
importance  of  more  love  and  humility,  and  that  I 
may  do  better  than  I  have  done  in  m}'  past  life. 
May  I  be  a  better  Christian  and  a  better  minister! 
Lord,  give  me  grace!" 

Every  page  of  his  journal  shows  his  close  com- 
munion with  God  and  his  oneness  of  purpose  to 
achieve  success.     He  says: 

"Friday,  April  8. — Left  Mcholasville,  and  came  to 
Richmond.  Have  felt  rather  unwell  for  some  days. 
Left  Mary  behind. 

"Saturday,  April  9. — Went  to  Providence  to  quar- 
terly-meeting, and  preached  at  eleven.  Brother 
Taylor,  the  Presiding  Elder,  preached  at  half-past 
four.  I  came  to  town  in  the  evening;  felt  quite 
stupid  and  dull. 

"Sunday,  April  10. — At  eleven  preached  in  town, 
a   searching   sermon;    at   two   met    Bible-class;    at 


Western    Cavaliers.  485 

night  preached,  with  liberty,  to  a  very  attentive  au- 
dience. 

"Monday,  April    11. —Rode   to   Providence,  and 
preached  at  eleven,  with  some  liberty. 

"Tuesday,  April  12.— Rode  to  town;  wrote;  read." 

Here  his  journal  closes. 
■  He  continued  to  preach  with  unabated  zeal  until 
about  the  first  of  May.  His  sermons  were  "in 
thoughts  that  breathe  and  words  that  burn."  About 
the  last  of  April  he  went  to  Centerville,  in  Madison 
county,  eight  or  ten  miles  from  Richmond,  where 
he  preached  his  last  sermon.  He  complained  very 
much  during  the  day,  and  was  soon  confined  to  his 
bed.  Through  twenty-eight  days  of  illness  he  was 
calm,  patient,  and  serene  as  a  summer  evening.  His 
disease  was  typhus  fever.  He  slept  a  great  deal,  and 
seemed  to  suffer  but  little  bodily  pain.  His  col- 
league, Mr.  Sidebottom,  visited  him  a  few  days  after 
his  illness  began,  and  asked  him  if  he  thought  he 
would  recover.  He  replied:  "I  do  not  know,  but 
it  makes  no  difference  to  me  whether  I  live  or  die; 
for,"  said  he,  "  'to  live  is  Christ,  but  to  die  is  gain.'" 
The  Friday  and  Saturday  before  his  death  he  re- 
joiced almost  incessantly  in  the  love  of  Christ.  A 
short  time  before  he  breathed  his  last  he  was  asked 
how  he  felt  in  reference  to  eternity.  His  reply  was, 
"All  is  well."  He  asked  for  a  drink  of  water,  which 
was  given  him.  After  he  had  drank  he  recited  the 
language  of  the  Saviour  to  the  Samaritan  woman: 
"  '  Whosoever  drinketh  of  the  water  that  I  shall  give 
him  shall  never  thirst;  but  the  water  that  I  shall 
give  him  shall  be  in  him  a  well  of  water  springing 


486  Western   Cavaliers. 

up  into  everlasting  life.' "  Upon  being  informed  by 
bis  physician  that  bis  case  was  hopeless,  be  imme- 
diately requested  all  in  the  room  to  kneel  down, 
when  be  called  on  a  minister  who  was  present  to 
pray.  During  the  prayer  be  rejoiced  aloud,  while 
bis  countenance  was  bright  and  angelic.  On  the 
28th  of  May,  1842,  he  sweetly  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 

Although  the  revivals  of  religion  were  not  so 
powerful  nor  so  extensive  this  year  as  they  were 
during  the  past,  yet  there  was  much  to  encourage 
the  Church. 

In  the  Maysville  District  there  was  a  net  increase 
of  three  hundred  and  twentj-five  white  and  sixty- 
eight  colored  members.  John  Christian  Harrison 
succeeded  Isaac  Collard  on  this  District,  and  in  every 
department  of  duty  belonging  to  the  responsible 
office  of  Presiding  Elder  he  was  a  master  and  a 
workman.  The  only  change  made  in  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  work  was  the  formation  of  a  German 
Mission,  called  Maysville  and  West  Union,  to  which 
John  Bier  was  appointed,  and  which,  at  the  next 
Conference,  reported  sixty-eight  members.  At  the 
close  of  the  first  round  of  quarterly-meetings,  Mr. 
Harrison  writes:  "Several  of  the  charges  have  en- 
joyed  seasons  of  revival  since  Conference.  As  far 
as  I  can  ascertain,  near  three  hundred  have  been 
received  on  probation,  in  the  bounds  of  the  District, 
during  the  first  quarter."  * 

On  the  9th  of  March  Isham  R.  Finley  writes  from 
Maysville:  "There  has  been  an  accession  to  the 
Church  here,  since  Conference,  of  between  fifty  and 
*  Western  Christian  Advocate^  February  3,  1843. 


Western    Cavaliers.  487 

sixty."  *     In  the  G-ermantown  Circuit,  Thomas  Ran- 
kin held  a  meeting  in  Washington,  commencing  on 

the  9th  and   closing  on  the  19th   of  December,  at 
which  thirty-one  persons  joined  the  Church.     The 
Little  Sandy  Circuit,  under  the  ministry  of  Samuel 
P.    Cummins,    was   greatly   blessed.      At  the   first 
quarterly-meeting,  held  at  Mr.  Buchanan's,  on  the 
Big  Sandy  Circuit,  commencing  December  24,  nine 
persons  joined  the  Church    and  several  were  con- 
verted; and  at  a  watch -meeting,  held  a  week  later 
at  the  same   place,  "twenty-five  or  thirty  persons 
presented  themselves  as  seekers  of  religion,  and  at 
the  close  of  the  meeting  six  others  joined  the  Church, 
making  forty-one  since  Conference."     In  the  Flem- 
ingsburg  Circuit,  William  D.  Trainer  and  William 
C.  Dandy  were  pushing  the  battle  to  the  gates  of  the 
enemy.    Before  the  winter  had  passed  more  than  one 
hundred  persons  joined  the  Church.     In  the  Lewis 
Circuit,  the  eccentric  and  gifted  Lorenzo  D.  Harlan 
witnessed  very  great  prosperity.     On  the  Highland 
Circuit,  Edmund  M.  Johnson  met  with  great  suc- 
cess; and  on  the  Shannon  Circuit,  Jedidiah  Foster, 
gifted,  popular,  useful,  and  beloved,  had  "times  of 
refreshing." 

The  Covington  District  was  still  under  the  leader- 
ship of  John  James.  As  early  as  the  31st  of  October 
George  C.  Light  announced,  through  the  columns 
of  the  Western  Christian  Advocate,  that  thirty-two 
persons  had  joined  the  Church  in  Covington.  On 
the  27th  of  December  he  writes  that  "upward  of 
two  hundred  and  twenty  have  been  added  to  the 
*  Western  Christian  Advocate,  March  17,  1843. 


4 SS  Western    Cavaliers. 

Church  since  the  commencement  of  the  present  Con- 
ference-year." On  the  28th  of  January,  1843,  he 
writes  again:  "The  glorious  work  is  still  progress- 
ing in  Covington,  without  any  visible  abatement. 
At  least  three  hundred  have  been  added  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  within  the  past  four 
months,  and  at  no  former  period  have  our  prospects 
been  brighter."  This  revival  continued  throughout 
the  greater  part  of  the  year,  dispensing  its  blessings 
on  that  community.'1' 

On  the  22d  of  November,  only  a  few  weeks  after 
the  close  of  the  Conference,  John  Miller  writes  from 
Cynthiana,  that  "above  forty  persons  have  been  re- 
ceived" into  the  Church.  John  Miller  was  an  able 
and  useful  preacher  of  the  gospel.  He  came  from 
the  State  of  Ohio  to  Kentucky  in  1840.  That  year 
he  was  admitted  on  trial  into  the  Kentucky  Confer- 
ence, and  appointed  to  the  Morganfield  and  Hen- 
derson Circuit,  where  he  remained  two  years.  In 
1842  we  find  him  on  the  Cynthiana  Circuit.  Before 
he  entered  the  ministry  he  was  distinguished  as'an 
able  practitioner  of  medicine.  But  few  men  have 
risen  more  rapidly  in  the  itinerant  field  than  John 
Miller.  From  the  time  he  entered  the  ministry  lie 
took  rank  with  the  most  promising  young  preachers 
in  the  Conference.  Zealous,  active,  enterprising, 
and  deeply  pious,  he  not  only  won  a  reputation  for 
himself,  as  an  able  preacher,  but  was  instrumental 
in  the  accomplishmentof  much  good.  On  the  Mor- 
ganfield and  Henderson  Circuit  he  was  greatly  be- 

*  For  a  sketch  of  George  C.  Light,  see  "  History  of  Methodism 
in  Kentucky." 


Western   Cavaliers.  489 

loved,  and  through  his  instrumentality  many  were 
brought  to  Christ.  In  the  Cynthiana  Circuit  he  was 
also  useful  and  beloved. 

On  the  Sharpsburg  Circuit  the  labors  of  Josiah 
Whitaker  were  greatly  blessed;  and  on  the  Millers- 
burg  Circuit  John  W.  Riggin  witnessed  a  gracious 
outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  James*C.  Crow  had 
charge  of  the  Alexandria  Circuit,  where  many  were 
born  to  God. 

In  Newport,  during  the  winter,  under  the  minis- 
try of  John  G.  Bruce,  there  was  considerable  pros- 
perity. On  the  9th  of  February  he  writes  to  the 
Western  Christian  Advocate:  "During  the  past  few 
weeks  we  have  received  about  thirty  on  probation, 
in  this  city."  Mr.  Bruce  was  transferred  from  the 
North  Ohio  to  the  Kentucky  Conference  in  1841, 
and  was  stationed  in  Newport,  where  we  still  find 
him  the  following  year.  Before  he  came  to  Ken- 
tucky he  had  spent  several  years  in  Ohio  as  a  trav- 
eling preacher,  where  his  ministry  had  been  greatly 
blessed.  In  Kentucky,  Avhere  he  had  been  but  a 
very  short  time,  his  labors  had  been  crowned  with 
success. 

In  the  Crittenden  Circuit,  under  the  ministry  of 
Samuel  Veach,  a  good  and  true  man,  much  good 
avus  accomplished. 

In  the  Lexington  District,  which  the  year  before 
was  visited  with  such  extraordinary  displays  of  di- 
vine power,  revivals  still  blessed  the  Church.  In 
the  city  of  Lexington,  Richard  Deering  continued 
to  attract  large  assemblies,  while  the  membership  of 
the  Church  constantly  increased.  During  the  year 
21* 


490  Western    Cavaliers. 

one  hundred,  and  ninety-five  persons  were  brought 
into  the  Church. 

A  few  weeks  previous  to  the  Conference  the  fourth 
quarterly-meeting  for  the  Versailles  Circuit  was  held 
in  Nicholas ville.  Peter  O.  Meeks,  the  zealous  pas- 
tor, had  fallen  at  his  post.  Benjamin  T.  Crouch, 
the  Presiding  Elder,  requested  the  assistance  of  Mr. 
Deering  and  William  Atherton  in  conducting  the 
meeting.  "  It  was  a  time  of  great  power  and  grace; 
many  young  men  and  young  ladies  joined  the 
Church,  and  there  were  many  clear  and  happy  con- 
versions." The  meeting  continued  for  more  than  a 
week,  and  sixty  persons  were  added  to  the  Church. 
Encouraged  by  what  had  been  accomplished,  the 
members  of  the  Church  proposed  to  hold  a  camp- 
meeting  immediately  after  Conference,  and  requested 
Mr.  Deering  and  the  other  brethren  to  be  present. 
The  session  of  the  Annual  Conference  adjourned  on 
Friday,  the  23d  of  September,  and  on  Saturday  Mr. 
Deering  was  on  the  camp-ground,  about  four  miles 
from  Xicholasville.  A  large  number  of  board  tents 
had  been  erected,  each  provided  with  a  stove,  in 
case  the  weather  should  turn  cold.  The  meeting 
was  one  of  great  power.  Nearly  one  hundred  per- 
sons were  converted  and  joined  the  Church.  The 
entire  community  was  aroused.  Under  a  single  ser- 
mon preached  by  Mr.  Deering,  one  evening,  fully 
one  hundred  persons  came  to  the  altar  and  pleaded 
for  mercy,  and  more  than  one-half  of  them  were 
converted  within  a  few  hours. 

\Villiam  M.  Crawford  and  George  W.  Smiley 
were  appointed  to  this  charge,  and  during  the  year 


Western    Cavaliers.  491 

one  hundred  and  eighty  persons  became  members 
of  the  Church. 

In  the  Georgetown  Circuit,  the  second  quarterly- 
meeting,  which  commenced  in  Georgetown  February 
5,  was  a  time  of  great  power.  Joseph  D.  Barnett, 
the  faithful  pastor,  writes:  "Twenty-three  gave  in 
their  names  as  probationers,  and  we  think  more  than 
that  number  testified  that  God  hath  power  on  earth 
to  forgive  sins."*  On  the  19th  of  February  he 
wrote:  "With  a  full  soul,  let  me  say  to  the  friends 
of  Zion  that  our  protracted-meeting  at  Georgetown 
has  just  closed,  and  the  number  that  offered  for 
membership  was  seventy-four."  f  A  few  days  later 
Evan  Stevenson  reported  nine  additional  members. 
The  Athens  Circuit,  too,  was  abundantly  blessed. 
Drummond  Welburn  reported  forty  additions  to  the 
Church.  Later  in  the  year  he  reported  an  addition 
of  seventy  more,  and  ninety  conversions.  On  the 
Burlington  Circuit,  there  was  a  revival  in  almost 
every  neighborhood,  under  the  ministry  of  Fielding 
Bell;  while  Thomas  Demoss  and  James  H.  Dennis, 
on  the  Owenton  Circuit,  were  instrumental  in  bring- 
ing many  to  Christ. 

The  Louisville  District  shared  largely  in  the  riches 
of  grace.  On  the  9th  of  March  George  W.  Brush 
writes:  "There  is  now  a  most  powerful  revival  of 
religion  in  the  three  stations  in  Louisville,  Ken- 
tucky." He,  however,  gives  none  of  the  particulars. 
An  examination  of  the  General  Minutes  shows  a 
considerable  increase  in  Brook,  Fourth,  and  Eighth 

*  Western  Christian  Advocate,  February  24,  1843.  -\  Western 
Christian  Advocate,  March  16,  1843. 


492  Western    Cavaliers. 

street  Churches.  Hubbard  II.  Kavanaugh  was  sta- 
tioned at  Brook-street,  George  W".  Brush  at  Fourth- 
street,  and  William  Ilolman  at  Eighth-street.  The 
Clay-street  German  Charge,  under  the  ministry  of 
William  Ahrens,  was  also  greatly  blessed. 

The  Jefferson  Circuit  was  served  by  Charles  B. 
Parsons  and  Andrew  J.  McLaughlin. 

Charles  B.  Parsons  was  born,  in  Enfield,  Connecti- 
cut, July  23,  1805.  At  an  early  period  in  life  he 
chose  the  profession  of  the  stage,  and  as  an  actor, 
before  he  was  thirty  years  of  age,  he  attained  the 
highest  reputation.  Several  influences  combined  to 
turn  his  thoughts  to  the  all-important  subject  of  re- 
ligion. Reading  religious  books,  the  prayers  in  his 
behalf,  offered  by  his  brother,  who  was  a  Presbyte- 
rian minister,  and  the  earnest  appeals  from  the  lips 
of  John  Newland  Maffitt,  were  instrumental  in  lead- 
ing him  to  Christ.  He  professed  religion  and  joined 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  March,  1839. 
Before  the  period  of  his  probation  expired  he  was 
granted  permission  by  the  Presiding  Elder  to  preach 
the  gospel,  to  which  high  and  holy  office  he  believed 
himself  to  be  called.  After  preaching  a  few  ser- 
mons to  admiring  thousands,  it  is  to  be  regretted 
that  he  withdrew  from  the  Church  and  returned  to 
the  stage,  to  fulfill  an  engagement  he  had  made  pre- 
vious to  his  admission  into  the  Church.  No  act  of 
the  life  of  this  distinguished  man  produced  deeper 
sorrow,  in  his  own  heart  and  in  the  hearts  of  his 
friends,  than  this,  and  in  after  years  he  often  re- 
ferred to  it  with  painful  emotion.  He  remained  out 
of  the  Church  only  a  short  time,  when,  with  heart- 


Western   Cavaliers.  493 

felt  contrition,  he  returned  and  asked  for  an  humble 
place  with  the  people  of  God.  His  tears  and  great 
sorrow  for  the  wrong  he  had  committed  melted 
every  heart,  and  with  rejoicing  they  received  the 
wanderer  back.  After  the  expiration  of  his  proba- 
tionary term  he  was  regularly  licensed  to  preach  the 
gospel,  and  in  the  autumn  of  1841  was  admitted  on 
trial  into  the  Kentucky  Conference. 

Before  he  entered  the  Conference  he  preached  in 
the  several  Methodist  Churches  in  Louisville,  where 
he  had  long  resided,  and  throughout  the  surrounding 
country,  and  everywhere  he  proclaimed  the  tidings 
of  a  Redeemer's  love  listening  multitudes  caught 
with  pleasure  the  burning  words  which  fell  from  his 
lips.  In  him  were  combined  all  the  requisites  of  the 
true  orator — great  emotion,  passion,  a  correct  judg- 
ment of  human  nature,  genius,  fancy,  imagination, 
gesture,  attitude,  intonation,  and  countenance,  with 
a  commanding  presence,  all  united  in  blended 
strength  to  accomplish  the  mighty  purpose  which 
moved  his  heart.  He  earnestly  spoke  the  truth  of 
God's  holy  word,  relying  on  the  divine  arm  for  help. 
He  preached  as  a  dying  man  to  dying  men,  as  in  the 
presence  of  God  and  the  judgment-seat.  He  fear- 
lessly pronounced  the  threatenings  of  the  law,  probed 
with  a  bold  hand  the  sinner's  heart,  and  in  much 
assurance  and  with  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost 
declared  the  whole  message  of  God. 

His  first  appointment  was  to  the  Jefferson  Circuit, 
as  the  colleague  of  Joseph  D.  Barnett.  He  entered 
upon  his  work  in  the  spirit  of  the  Master.  Anxious 
crowds    waited    upon    his    ministry,    sinners  were 


494  Western    Cavaliers. 

awakened,  penitents  converted,  and  the  Church  es- 
tablished. At  the  close  of  the  rear  three  hundred 
persons  had  joined  the  Church  under  the  labors  of 
these  zealous  preachers.  In  1842  he  was  returned 
to  the  same  held.  On  the  12th  of  January  follow- 
ing he  writes  from  Middletown:  "A  revival  is  in 
progress  in  this  village,  which  promises  great  good 
to  the  cause  of  religion.  Fifty-six  have  been  added 
to  the  Church,  many  of  whom  have  been  happily 
converted."'1'  On  the  2d  of  March  he  writes  from 
JefFersontown:  "The  time  was  when  Methodism 
triumphed  in  this  place,  but  years  have  fled  since 
then,  and  her  palmy  days  are  almost  forgotten. 
Thank  God,  the  standard  of  the  cross  is  again  lifted 
amidst  the  ruins,  and,  phenix-like,  our  beloved 
Methodism  has  risen,  thrice  glorious,  from  her 
parent-ashes!  The  death  of  one  of  the  few  old 
saints  of  God,  who,  faithful  to  the  last,  have  stood 
like  monuments  of  by-gone  days,  perpetuating  with 
gloomy  grandeur  the  memory  of  other  times,  called 
our  attention  to  the  place,  and  we  resolved  once 
more  to  sound  the  battle-cry.  Twelve  old  soldiers, 
the  relics  of  a  once  large  and  flourishing  Society,  ral- 
lied around  the  standard,  and  the  fight  commenced. 
The  God  of  battles  was  with  us;  union  and  com- 
munion was  had  with  other  branches  of  the  family 
of  Christ,  and  our  meeting  terminated  with  fifty-two 
additions  to  the  Church  and  the  re-collection  of 
several  who  had  strayed  away  and  been  well-nigh 
lost   forever."!     The  work  spread  all  around  the 

*  Letter  in    Western  Christ  'ate  of  February  3,  1843. 

^Western  Christian  Advocate,  March  17,  1843. 


Western    Cavaliers.  495 

circuit,  and  hundreds  believed  and  were  brought  to 
Christ. 

The  Shepherds ville  Circuit,  under  the  ministry  of 
George  W.  Crumbaugh,  was  greatly  revived,  and 
more  than  sixty  persons  were  added  to  the  Church. 
In  the  La  Grange  Circuit,  the  revival  was  general. 
The  zealous  James  D.  Holding  was  in  charge,  with 
Samuel  D.  Baldwin  as  his  colleague. 

Mr.  Baldwin  was  a  young  man.  He  was  born, 
in  Worthington,  Ohio,  November  24,  1818.  His 
parents  were  Presbyterians.  He  had  graduated  with 
high  honor  in  Woodward  College,  Cincinnati,  stand- 
ing in  the  first  rank  in  the  class  of  which  Hon. 
George  H.  Pendleton  and  Hon.  George  E.  Pugh 
were  members.  While  at  college  he  became  con- 
cerned on  the  subject  of  religion,  and  was  happily 
converted  among  the  Methodists,  and  united  with 
that  branch  of  the  Christian  Church.  The  step  that 
he  had  taken  was  a  disappointment  to  his  parents, 
who  had  hoped  that  he  would  become  a  minister  in 
the  Church  of  which  they  were  members.  Many 
efforts  were  made  to  persuade  him  to  leave  the 
Methodist  Church,  but  they  were  unavailing.  True 
to  principle,  for  conscience'  sake  he  forsook  father, 
mother,  brothers,  and  sisters,  to  serve  God  in  that 
Church  through  whose  instrumentality  he  was 
brought  to  Christ,  and  in  which  he  might  be  most 
useful  and  happy.  This  severance  from  his  family 
was  to  him  a  severe  trial;  but  his  judgment  and 
conscience  dictated  and  sustained  him  in  this  course, 
from  which  lie  never  swerved.  In  his  early  life  he 
had  traveled  in  the  Southern  States.     He  admired 


496  Western    Cavaliers. 

the  people  and  loved  the  manners  and  habits  of 
Southerners,  and  hence  he  sought  a  place  in  the 
South.  He  had  just  entered  the  Conference,  and 
his  first  circuit  was  the  La  Grange.  Popular,  gifted, 
eloquent,  zealous,  and  devoted  to  his  work,  success 
crowned  his  labors. 

The  preachers  on  the  Newcastle  Circuit  were  Car- 
lisle Babbitt  and  Samuel  L.  Robertson.  Mr.  Babbitt 
had  been  for  several  years  a  useful  member  of  the 
Conference;*  but  Mr.  Robertson  had  just  been  ad- 
mitted on  trial.  He  was  a  young  man,  and  gave 
great  promise  of  usefulness  to  the  Church.  He  was 
born,  in  Bath  county,  Kentucky,  February  6,  1818. 
In  August,  1833,  in  Fleming  county,  Kentucky,  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church.  Believing  it  to  be  his  duty  to  preach,  he 
nevertheless  entered  the  ministry  with  much  hesita- 
tion. After  serious  thought  he  decided  to  meet  the 
obligations  which  confronted  him,  and  on  the  4th 
of  June,  1842,  was  licensed  to  preach  by  Isaac  Col- 
lard.  On  the  Newcastle  Circuit  he  performed  the 
duties  assigned  him  with  earnestness  and  zeal,  and 
with  blessing  to  the  people.  At  a  meeting  in  Bed- 
ford, held  in  March,  seventy-three  persons  joined 
the  Church. 

The  Hardinsburg  District  enjoyed  many  refreshing 
seasons,  although  there  was  only  a  small  increase 
in  the  membership.  In  the  Big  Spring,  Hardins- 
burg, Hawesville,  and  Owensboro  Circuits,  there 
was  much  religious  interest.     Nathan ael  H.  Lee  and 

*See  sketch  of  Carlisle  Babbitt,  in  the  "History  of  Meth- 
odism in  Kentucky." 


Western   Cavaliers.  497 

George  Hancock  traveled  on  the  Owensboro  Circuit, 
and  under  their  ministry  many  were  added  to  the 
Church.  On  the  27th  of  March  Mr.  Lee  reports  a 
revival  in  Owensboro,  at  which  fifteen  were  added 
to  the  Church.  On  the  11th  of  September  he  re- 
ports revivals  at  Burk's,  in  Ohio  county,  and  at 
Pleasant  Grove,  in  Daviess  county.  In  these  several 
revivals  one  hundred  and  forty  persons  were  added 
to  the  Church.  The  Hardinsburg  Circuit  was  served 
by  Seraiah  S.  Peering  and  Learner  B.  Davison,  true 
and  faithful  men,  who  were  instrumental  in  bring- 
ing many  to  Christ.  In  other  portions  of  the  Dis- 
trict there  were  seasons  of  refreshing. 

Seraiah  S.  Deering  was  born,  in  Greenup  county, 
Kentucky,  April  10,  1816.  Under  the  ministry  of 
William  P.  McKnight  he  joined  the  Church,  at 
Thomas  Lawson's,  in  the  same  county,  in  February, 
1831.  He  gave  his  hand  to  the  Church  as  a  seeker 
of  religion,  and  after  deep  repentance  and  earnest 
supplication  he  was  happily  converted  in  the  follow- 
ing June.  He  was  alone  in  the  woods  when  the 
great  change  occurred.  The  impression  was  not 
only  on  his  mind  that  it  was  his  duty  to  preach  the 
gospel,  but  all  who  knew  him  entertained  the  same 
belief.  In  the  summer  of  1834  he  was  licensed  to 
exhort,  and  in  November  of  the  same  year  to  preach. 
In  a  previous  chapter  we  referred  to  him  as  supply- 
ing, under  the  Presiding  Elder,  the  Taylorsville  and 
the  Hartford  Circuits,  and  to  his  zealous  and  useful 
labors  on  the  Yellow  Banks  Circuit,  after  he  entered 
the  Conference  in  1839.  In  1840  he  was  again  sent 
to  the  Hartford  Circuit,  where  he  had  been  em- 


498  Western    Cavaliers. 

inently  successful  two  years  before.  His  appoint- 
ment in  1841  was  to  the  Har'dinsb.urg  Circuit,  to 
which  he  was  returned  in  1842. 

The  membership  in  the  Shelbyville  District  pre- 
sents but  little  change  from  that  of  the  previous 
year.  In  the  Shelby  Circuit,  which,  under  the  min- 
istry of  Napoleon  B.  Lewis,  had  enjoyed  such  great 
prosperity,  the  religious  interest  had  not  abated. 
Mr.  Lewis  was  returned  to  the  field  in  which  he  had 
already  won  so  many  trophies  to  the  Redeemer. 

Napoleon  B.  Lewis  was  born,  in  Russellville,  Ken- 
tucky, September  25,  1809.  His  ancestors,  on  his 
father's  side,  were  Virginians.  They  came  to  Ken- 
tucky at  an  early  day,  and  settled  in  that  beautiful 
plain  which  lies  between  the  hills  of  Green  River 
and  the  Cumberland.  There  two  generations  of 
them  lie  buried.  Among  the  earliest  Methodists  in 
Logan  county,  Kentucky,  was  his  maternal  grand- 
mother. For  many  years  her  house  was  not  only 
the  home  of  the  weary  itinerant,  but  the  chapel  for 
the  neighborhood.  At  one  time  an  effort  was  made 
to  remove  the  Society,  thinking  it  could  not  be 
longer  maintained;  but,  in  deference  to  Mrs.  Stem- 
mons,* the  grandmother  of  Mr.  Lewis,  it  was  con- 

*Mrs.  Stemmons  was  richly  rewarded  for  her  devotion  to 
the  Church.  Alexander  H.  Stemmons  and  Jacob  M.  Stem- 
mons, her  two  sons,  became  Methodist  preachers.  One  of  her 
daughters  married  llerrington  Stevens,  a  Methodist  itinerant 
preacher.  Napoleon  B.  Lewis  was  her  grandson,  and  John  W. 
Rhodes,  a  useful  and  popular  preacher,  married  one  of  her 
granddaughters.  .lames  A.  Lewis  and  John  W.  Lewis,  at 
present  members  of  the  Louisville  Conference,  are  her  great- 
grandsons. 


W e  s  t  e  r  n   Cavaliers.  499 

tinned  at  her  house,  and  resulted  in  a  strong  Society, 
now  removed  to  Keysburg.  The  father  of  Napo- 
leon B.  Lewis  died,  leaving  his  son,  quite  young,  to 
the  care  of  one  of  the  best  of  mothers — wise,  pru- 
dent, and  self-reliant.  She  was  afterward  married 
to  Robert  Davis,  a  Presbyterian  preacher,  a  godly 
man,  who  aided  her  in  molding  the  character  of 
her  children,  and  in  training  them  for  heaven. 

Mr.  Lewis  received  the  rudiments  of  a  good  Eng- 
lish education  under  the  instruction  of  his  step- 
father, with  whom  he  commenced  the  study  of  the 
languages,  but  was  prevented  by  the  death  of  Mr. 
Davis  from  realizing  any  farther  benefit.  The  care 
of  the  family  devolved  on  him,  and  as  a  true  and 
affectionate  son  and  brother  he  cheerfully  fulfilled 
the  responsible  trust. 

In  May,  1830,  he  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  as  a  seeker  of  religion,  and  a  week  later 
realized  the  pardoning  love  of  Christ,  in  a  class- 
meeting  at  Keysburg,  Kentucky.  It  had  been  an 
abiding  impression  of  his  childhood  that  he  would 
become  a  preacher.  When  but  a  boy  he  crawled 
beneath  the  pulpit  of  the  old  log  church,  and  prayed 
the  Lord  that  "  if  he  did,  make  him  a  preacher,  to  make 
him  a  good  one."  Immediately  after  his  conversion 
he  erected  the  altar  for  family  worship,  from  which, 
morning  and  evening,  his  prayers  went  up  to  God. 

In  the  autumn  of  1832  he  was  licensed  to  preach 
by  Isaac  Collard,  and  the  following  year  was  em- 
ployed by  him  on  the  Livingston  Circuit.  At  the 
Conference  of  1834  he  was  admitted  on  trial  into 
the  Kentucky  Conference,  and  was  appointed  to  the 


500  Western   Cavaliers. 

Cumberland  Mission.  In  1835  his  field  of  labor  was 
the  Barbonrsville  Mission.  In  1836  he  was  sent  to 
the  Little  Sandy  Circuit,  and  in  1837  to  Danville. 
In  1838  he  was  appointed  to  the  Greenville  Circuit, 
where  he  remained  two  years.  From  the  Green- 
ville Circuit  we  follow  him  to  the  Hodo-enville,  and 
thence  to  the  Shelby  Circuit,  where  we  still  find 
him  in  1842,  prosecuting  his  work  with  fidelity  and 
zeal. 

There  were  but  few  preachers  in  Kentucky  whom 
we  knew  more  intimately  than  we  did  Napoleon  B. 
Lewis.  He  was  an  extraordinary  man.  From  the 
time  he  entered  the  ministry  he  stood  abreast  with 
the  ablest  preachers  in  the  State,  and  exerted  an  in- 
fluence for  good  that  but  few  young  men  could 
claim.  God  had  called  him  to  preach  the  unsearch- 
able riches  of  Christ,  and,  whether  the  path  of  duty 
lay  amid  mountain  fastnesses  or  in  fertile  valleys,  he 
was  ever  found  at  his  post.  In  the  cabins  of  the 
humble  poor  and  in  the  frescoed  church  alike  he 
proclaimed  "liberty  to  the  captive  and  the  opening 
of  the  prison-doors  to  those  who  are  bound."  His 
talents  were  of  a  high  order.  As  a  preacher  he  had 
but  few  equals,  whether  he  discussed  the  cardinal 
doctrines  of  Christianity,  or  unfolded  its  practical 
duties,  or  dwelt  on  its  blessed  experience.  In  ex- 
hortation he  was  overpowering.  We  have  listened 
to  the  appeals  he  made  to  sinners,  when  the  tallest 
sons  of  vice  fell  before  the  power  of  truth  as  bends 
the  forest  before  the  raging  storm.  We  have  heard 
him  when,  rising  with  his  theme,  he  carried  his  vast 
audiences  with  him  to  the  loftiest  heights,  whence 


Western    Cavaliers.  501 

they  might  contemplate  the  scenes  of  felicity  and  of 
grandeur  on  which  the  disembodied  spirit  shall  enter 
when  it  has  dropped  this  earthly  tabernacle  in  the 
dust.  Influenced  by  a  single  motive — to  do  good 
and  to  save  the  souls  of  men — we  are  not  surprised 
that  thousands  were  brought  to  God  through  his 
instrumentality.  Everywhere  he  preached  crowded 
audiences  waited  on  his  ministry,  and  stars  were 
gathered  to  deck  the  crown  he  wears  to-day.  On 
the  Shelby  Circuit  he  was  eminently  useful.  Hun- 
dreds were  brought  into  the  Church  and  into  the 
"peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding," 
through  his  labor  of  love;  and  at  the  close  of  his 
pastorate  in  that  charge  the  Church  blessed  him  for 
the  good  he  had,  under  God,  accomplished. 

In  the  Taylorsville  Circuit,  William  Atherton  and 
Zachariah  M.  Taylor  had  prosperous  times.  In  the 
Salt  River  Circuit,  Richard  I.  Dungan  and  Garret 
Davis  witnessed  many  conversions;  while  Leroy  C. 
Danley  and  Allen  McLaughlin  had  some  success  on 
the  Hodgenville  Circuit.  In  the  Lebanon  Circuit, 
William  R.  Price  and  John  W.  Fields  labored  with 
marked  zeal  and  success;  wThile  Moses  Levi,  on  the 
Lawrenceburg  Circuit,  successfully  pointed  sinners 
to  the  Shiloh. 

In  the  Ilarrodsburg  District  there  were  also  sea- 
sons of  rejoicing.  Before  the  first  of  April  fifty 
persons  had  joined  the  Church,  under  the  ministry 
of  Moses  M.  Henkle. 

In  the  Somerset  Circuit,  as  early  as  the  4th  of 
January,  Ransom  Lancaster  writes:  "On  the  13th 
of  December  I  commenced  a  meeting  in  Somerset, 


502  W  E  S  T  E  R  N     C  A  V  A  L  I  E  R  S  . 

which  continued  until  the  27th.  The  result  was 
thirty-two  accessions,  making,  in  all,  since  I  came 
here,  sixty-six  additions  to  the  Church."*  On  the 
18th  of  February  a  meeting  was  commenced  at  Car- 
son's Meeting-house,  which  resulted  in  twenty-one 
conversions  and  twenty-seven  accessions. f  On  the 
28th  of  May  Air.  Lancaster  writes  again:  "Up  to 
this  time  I  have  received  one  hundred  and  eighteen, 
as  probationers,  into  the  Church."  ;i; 

Ransom  Lancaster  was  a  young  man  of  extraor- 
dinary zeal  and  uncompromising  devotion  to  the 
Church.  He  was  horn,  in  Boonsboro,  Madison 
county,  Kentucky,  April  15,  1818.  He  was  con- 
verted at  Pleasant  Grove  Camp-ground,  in  Daviess 
county,  Kentucky,  in  August,  1839,  and  joined  the 
Church  at  the  same  time. 

In  August,  1840,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  Ben- 
jamin T.  Crouch.  For  more  than  a  year  he  served 
the  Church  as  a  local  preacher,  and  in  the  autumn 
of  1841  he  was  admitted  on  trial  into  the  Kentucky 
Conference.  His  first  appointment  was  to  the  Bar- 
boursville  Circuit,  where  his  labors  were  greatly 
blessed.  In  1842  we  find  him  on  the  Somerset  Cir- 
cuit, prosecuting  his  work  with  fidelity  and  success. 

In  the  Richmond  Station,  Gilby  Kelly,  the  gifted 
and  popular  pastor,  reports  twenty  conversions  and 
thirty-eight  additions  to  the  Church,  at  the  second 
quarterly  -  meeting,  at  which  he  was  assisted  by 
Drummond  Welburn;  while  on  the  Madison  Cir- 


*  Western  { 'hristian  Advocate,  January  2<>,  1843.  f  Letter  from 
Stephen  K.  Vaught,  in  Western  Christian  Advocate,  March  10, 
1843.     %  Western  Christian  Advocate,  June  9,  1843. 


Western    Cavaliers.  503 

cuit,the  revival  which  commenced  the  previous  year 
under  the  ministry  of  Edwin  Roberts  and  Robinson 
E.  Bidebottom  was  continued  under  the  labors  of 
the  latter  during  all  the  present  year. 

The  Conference  had  in  it  no  man  truer  to  the  in- 
terests of  the  Church  than  Robinson  E.  Sidebottom. 
He  was  born,  in  Green  county,  Kentucky,  April  12, 
1809.  He  was  converted  in  November  or  Decem- 
ber, 1831,  and  in  July,  1833,  was  received  into  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  by  Hooper  Crews,  and 
was  by  him  licensed  to  exhort.  Early  in  the  spring 
of  1834  he  was  employed  to  travel  on  the  Living- 
ston Circuit,  in  the  place  of  Joseph  D.  Barnett,  who 
had  been  removed  to  the  Henderson  Circuit.  He 
preached  until  the  fourth  quarterly-meeting  on  the 
charge  to  which  he  was  appointed,  having  license 
only  to  exhort.  At  this  quarterly-meeting  he  was 
licensed  to  preach,  and  recommended  to  the  Ken- 
tucky Conference  for  admission  on  trial. 

In  183-1  he  was  received  into  the  Conference,  and 
appointed  to  the  Plinckstone  Circuit,  with  Josiah 
W  hi  taker.  His  second  appointment  was  to  the 
Danville  Circuit,  with  Gilby  Kelly.  Although  the 
year  had  nearly  passed  away  without  any  extraor- 
dinary outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  yet  toward  its 
close,  at  the  Durham  Camp-ground,  more  than  one 
hundred  persons  were  happily  converted  to  God. 
John  Newland  Maffitt  and  George  MeNelly  were  at 
the  meeting,  and  rendered  much  service.  At  the 
following  Conference  he  was  returned  to  the  same 
charge,  with  Milton  Jamieson,  who  failed  to  reach 
the  work,  and  the  vacancy  was  supplied  by  Richard 


504  Western    Cavaliers. 

I.  Dungan.  It  was  during  this  year  that  union 
meetings  were  held  in  that  charge  by  the  preachers 
of  the  different  denominations,  which  resulted  in 
the  conversion  of  hundreds.  In  1837  he  was  sent  to 
the  Burksville  Circuit,  where,  although  he  labored 
with  constancy  and  devotion,  the  total  amount  he 
received,  for  the  support  of  himself,  wife,  and  two 
children,  was  thirty-seven  dollars  and  thirty-seven 
and  one-half  cents.  His  next  field  of  labor  was  the 
Hodgenville  Circuit,  to  which  he  was  returned  the 
following  year,  where  his  ministry  was  prosperous 
and  successful.  In  1840  we  again  meet  with  him  on 
the  Danville  Circuit,  after  an  absence  of  three  years. 
In  this  charge  extraordinary  revivals  crowned  his 
labors,  and  many  were  brought  to  Christ.  At  Beech 
Grove  and  Joseph's  Chapel  sinners  were  awakened 
and  penitents  converted  to  God.  On  the  Madison 
Circuit,  in  1841  and  in  1842,  revivals  blessed  the 
labors  of  this  good  man  wherever  he  delivered  the 
message  of  life  and  salvation ,*and  manv  were  the 
seals  to  his  ministry. 

On  the  Stanford  Circuit,  Clinton  Kelly  persuaded 
many  to  be  reconciled  to  God — the  pleasure  of  the 
Lord  prospered  in  his  hands;  while  on  the  Lancas- 
ter Circuit,  Thomas  R.  Malone  was  instrumental  in 
doing  much  good. 

The  preacher  on  the  Salvisa  Circuit  was  Elkanah 
Johnson,  one  of  the  most  remarkable  men  in  the 
Conference.  He  was  born,  in  Shelby  county,  Ken- 
tucky. May  .">,  1811.  In  1821,  near  Madison,  In- 
diana, he  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
but  was  not  converted  until  1826.     In  1838  he  was 


Western   Cavaliers.  505 

licensed  to  preach  by  Benjamin  T.  Crouch,  and  en- 
tered the  Kentucky  Conference.  His  first  appoint- 
ment was  to  the  Owenton  Circuit.  In  1839  he  was 
sent  to  the  Taylorsville  Circuit,  and  in  1840  to  the 
Shelby  Circuit.  At  the  Conference  of  1841  he  was 
appointed  to  the  Newcastle  Circuit,  and  in  1842  we 
find  him  on  the  Salvisa  Circuit.  In  all  these  fields 
God  blessed  the  ministry  of  this  true  man.  His 
manner  of  preaching  was  peculiar.  He  imitated 
no  one.  His  sermons  were  distinguished  for  their 
soundness,  force,  and  power.  He  attracted  attention 
wherever  he  ministered,  and  accomplished  good. 

In  the  Bowling  Green  District,  there  was  an  in- 
teresting revival  of  religion  in  the  Bowling  Green 
Station,  under  the  ministry  of  Eli  B.  Grain.  On 
the  Scottsville  Circuit,  previous  to  the  15th  of  June, 
Munford  Pelly  reported  more  than  one  hundred  ad- 
ditions to  the  Church.  In  the  Glasgow  Circuit,  the 
*  ever-faithful  Joel  Peak  witnessed  seasons  of  great 
prosperity;  while  in  the  Burksville  Circuit,  Josiah 
Godbey  was  greatly  encouraged  by  the  success  which 
crowned  his  labors.  Albert  Kelly,  in  the  Wayne 
Circuit,  and  John  C.  C.  Thompson,  in  the  Columbia 
Circuit,  were  instrumental  in  doing  much  good. 

In  no  District  in  the  Conference  were  the  displays 
of  divine  power  more  apparent  than  in  the  Hopkins- 
ville.  Edward  Stevenson  was  still  the  leader — an 
indefatigable  and  zealous  preacher  of  the  gospel. 
The  Conference  adjourned  on  the  23d  of  September. 
On  the  5th  day  of  October  a  camp-meeting  com- 
menced at  Ash  Spring,  in  the  Logan  Circuit,  to 
which  Albert  II.  Bedford  was  reappointed.  It  con- 
22 


506  Western    Cavaliers. 

tinued  until  the  17th  day  of  the  month.  At  this 
meeting  two  hundred  and  eighty-one  persons  were 
happily  converted,  and  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
three  joined  the  Methodist  Church.  The  preachers 
who  assisted  the  pastor  were  Robert  Fisk,  William 
Knowles,  John  F.  South,  and  Mr.  Brooks,  a  local 
preacher  from  Tennessee.  Besides  these,  Edward 
Stevenson  was  present  nearly  all  the  time.  This 
meeting  was  one  of  great  power.  In  three  days  one 
hundred  and  live  "persons  passed  from  death  unto 
life."  At  the  close  about  one  hundred  adults  were 
baptized  by  pouring.  The  revival  spread  through- 
out the  circuit.  On  the  27th  of  January  the  pastor 
wrote:  "The  Lord  is  still  reviving  his  work  in  this 
circuit.  Since  I  last  wrote,  ninety  have  been  added 
to  the  Church,  making  in  all,  since  Conference,  two 
hundred  and  seventy-three."  *  On  the  4th  of  July 
he  wrote  again:  "Three  hundred  and  thirty-two 
persons  have  been  added  to  the  Church,  and  about* 
the  same  number  converted  to  God;"f  and  before 
the  year  closed  more  than  four  hundred  persons  had 
become  members  of  the  Church. 

At  Pleasant  Grove — a  Society  which  had  been  re- 
duced to  a  fewT  members,  and  where  the  debate  on 
baptism,  mentioned  in  the  previous  chapter,  had  oc- 
curred a  few  months  before — the  religious  influence 
was  overwhelming;  nearly  one  hundred  persons 
embraced  religion  and  entered  the  Church.  At 
Adairsville,  one  of  the  early  battle-grounds  for 
Methodism  in  Kentucky,  the  Society  had  been  en- 

*  Western  Christian  Advocate,  February  10,  1843.  -\  Western 
Christian  Advocate,  July  14,  1843. 


Western    Cavaliers.  507 

tirely  blotted  out;    but  a  new  organization,  with 

forty-two  members,  again   entered  the  same  Held. 
At  Keysburg,  Pleasant  Run,  Red  Oak  Grove,  and 
Dry  Fork,  God  blessed  the  labors  of  his  servants, 
and  souls  were  gathered  into  the  Church.     In  Rus- 
sellville,  John  F.  South  met  with  considerable  suc- 
cess; and  at  Elkton,  John  B.  Perry  was  instrumental 
in  "turning  many  to  righteousness."     In  the  Hop- 
kinsville  Circuit,  the  plain,  unostentatious  Thomas 
Bottomley  proclaimed  the  tidings  of  salvation  to 
the  hundreds  who  waited  upon  his  ministry,  and 
more  than  two  hundred  souls  passed  "into  the  lib- 
erty of  the  children  of  God."     In  the  La  Fayette 
Circuit,  which   included  the  delightful  village  of 
Cadiz,  experimental  religion  triumphed  over  a  for- 
mal Christianity,  and  Campbellism,  mortified  at  its 
own  defeats,  for  awhile  stood  aghast,  and  then  re- 
tired from  the  struggle.     At  Smithland,  James  E". 
Temple  was  eminently  useful;  and  on  the  Salem 
Circuit,  William  James  and  William  Lasley  rejoiced 
over  the  victories  they  had  won.     Robert  Fisk,  in 
the  Princeton   Circuit,  and  George  Riach,  in  the 
Franklin  Circuit,  enjoyed  refreshing  seasons,  and 
made  full  proof  of  their  ministry. 

In  the  Barboursville  District,  William  B.  Landrum 
reports  revivals  in  Barboursville,  in  the  Mount 
Pleasant  Circuit,  in  Prestonsburg,  in  Louisa,  and  in 
almost  every  part  of  the  District. 

In  Jackson's  Purchase,  the  Hickman  Circuit  was 
divided,  forming  the  Hickman  and  the  Mayfield 
Circuits.  While  the  several  charges  in  this  portion 
of  Kentucky  were  blessed  with  interesting  meetings 


508  Western   Cavaliers. 

during  the  year,  there  was  a  decrease  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  in  the  white  and  forty-seven  in  the  col- 
ored membership. 

The  total  increase  in  the  State  for  this  year  was 
two  thousand  seven  hundred  and  ninety-one  white  and 
one  thousand  thm  hundredand  sixty  colored  members. 


Western   Cavaliers.  509 


CHAPTEE  XII. 

FEOM  THE  SESSION  OF  THE  KENTUCKY  CONFERENCE  OF 
1843  TO  THE  CONFERENCE  OF  1844. 

Kings  shall  fall  down  before  him, 

And  gold  and  incense  bring; 
All  nations  shall  adore  him, 

His  praise  all  people  sing : 
For  he  shall  have  dominion 

O'er  river,  sea,  and  shore, 
Far  as  the  eagle's  pinion 

Or  dove's  light  wing  can  soar. 

THE  Kentucky  Annual  Conference  of  1843  met 
in  the  city  of  Louisville,  on  the  13th  of  Sep- 
tember. Bishop  Morris  presided,  and  Thomas  1ST. 
Ralston  and  William  M.  Crawford  were  elected 
Secretaries. 

The  appointment  of  the  usual  committees  and  the 
examination  of  the  character  of  the  preachers  occu- 
pied the  principal  portion  of  the  first  three  days  of 
the  session. 

Several  preachers  of  distinction,  from  other  Con- 
ferences, were  present — among  them,  Charles  Elliott, 
D.D.,  editor  of  the  Western  Christian  Advocate;  Leon- 
idas  L.  Hamline,  editor  of  the  Ladies'  Repository; 
Leroy  Swormstedt,  Book  Agent  at  Cincinnati;  E. 


510  Western    Cavaliers. 

W.  Sehon,  Agent  for  the  American  Bible  Society; 
Messrs.  Wood,  Beck,  Robinson,  Daily,  and  Hays,  of 
the  Indiana  Conference;  Charles  K.  Marshall,  of  the 
Mississippi  Conference;  and  Mr.  Doring,  of  the 
Pittsburgh  Conference. 

On  Friday  morning  Dr.  Sehon  addressed  the  Con- 
ference in  behalf  of  the  American  Bible  Society, 
and  Dr.  Elliott  in  behalf  of  the  Western  Christian 
Advocate. 

At  the  close  of  Dr.  Elliott's  address,  the  following 
resolution  was  offered  by  Joseph  S.  Tomlinson  and 
Thomas  N".  Ralston,  and  adopted: 

"Resolved,  by  the  Kentucky  Annual  Conference,  That 
we  have  great  confidence  in  the  management  of  the 
Western  branch  of  the  Methodist  Book  Concern, 
and  that  we  consider  it  of  vast  importance  to  the 
interests  of  our  Church;  and  that  we  will  use  in- 
creased exertions  to  sustain  and  promote  the  useful- 
ness of  that  institution,  by  a  prompt  'payment  of  our 
liabilities  to  it,  and  by  the  circulation  of  the  books 
and  periodicals  which  from  time  to  time  emanate 
from  that  establishment." 

A  resolution  of  greater  importance  could  scarcely 
have  been  submitted  to  an  Annual  Conference.  The 
Western  Book  Concern  had  been  established  by  the 
Church,  that  the  demands  of  the  West  might  be 
fully  supplied.  The  Conferences  whose  benefit  it 
was  intended  to  subserve  owed  their  undivided  sup- 
port toward  its  advancement  and  success.  ^N"ot  only 
was  it  their  duty  to  circulate  the  books  that  ema- 
nated from  it,  but  to  place  the  Advocate  in  every 
family  they  served.     The  influence  of  a  religious 


Western    Cavaliers.  511 

paper  on  the  intelligence  and  piety  of  a  household 

cannot  be  easily  estimated.  Another  feature  in  the 
resolution  looked  to  the  payment  of  the  debts  due 
the  Concern.  With  a  laxity  that  can  hardly  be 
excused,  they  had  tilled  orders  for  books  without 
inquiring  into  the  ability  of  persons  to  meet  their 
<  ihligations.  Some  of  the  preachers  had  been  remiss 
in  reference  to  their  book  accounts,  and  hence  the 
suggestion  of  promptness  in  the  resolution.  It  was 
at  this  Conference  that  a  young  preacher,  who  owed 
a  large  account  to  the  Book  Concern,  offered  his 
note  at  one  year  from  date,  which  the  Agent  re- 
fused, and  said:  "My  young  brother,  you  will  pay  me 
now,  or  I  will  report  you  to  the  Conference  as  a  delin- 
quent!" The  young  man  turned  away,  mortified, 
but  borrowed  the  money  and  settled  his  account. 
To-day  he  remembers  Mr.  Swormstedt  with  feelings 
of  gratitude  for  having  taught  him  the  virtue  of 
promptness.  Several  others  failed  to  pay  what  they 
owed,  and  the  Agent  submitted  their  names,  with 
the  amounts  of  their  indebtedness,  to  the  Confer- 
ence, for  such  action  as  might  be  deemed  proper. 
No  preacher,  and  especially  a  young  man,  should 
allow  himself  to  incur  a  debt  to  the  amount  of  a 
dollar;  but  if  he  does,  he  should  feel  that  his  honor 
is  imperiled  if  he  fails  to  settle  it  at  the  close  of  the 
Conference-year. 

A  resolution  from  the  Few  York  Conference, 
memorializing  the  General  Conference  to  restore 
Mr.  Wesley's  original  rule  on  spirituous  liquors,  was 
concurred  in,  seventy-nine  voting  in  the  affirmative 
and  one  in  the  negative;  also,  a  resolution  from  the 


512  Western    Cavaliers. 

same  Conference,  to  request  the  General  Conference 
to  suspend  the  Restrictive  Rules  so  far  as  to  make  the 
rule  on  slavery  read  as  follows:  "The  buying  or 
selling  men,  women,  or  children,  with  an  intention 
to  enslave  them,"  was  concurred  in. 

A  resolution  from  the  2s"ew  Jersey  Conference  was 
submitted,  recommending  that  the  Discipline  be  so 
changed,  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  as  to  read:  "  The 
buying  or  selling  of  men,  women,  or  children,  with 
an  intention  to  enslave  them,  or  the  holding  them  as 
slaves,  in  any  State,  Territory,  or  District,  where  the 
laws  of  such  State,  Territory,  or  District  will  admit 
of  emancipation,  and  permit  the  liberated  slave  to 
enjoy  freedom."  The  Conference  unanimously  voted 
non-concurrence. 

Henry  B.  Bascom,  William  G-unn,  Hubbard  IT. 
Kavanaugh,  Edward  Stevenson,  Benjamin  T.  Crouch, 
and  George  W.  Brush,  were  elected  Delegates  to  the 
General  Conference,  and  John  Christian  Harrison 
and  George  W.  Taylor  reserves. 

A  resolution  was  adopted,  requesting  Henry  B. 
Bascom  to  collect  materials  for  the  history  of  the 
rise  and  progress  of  Methodism  in  Kentucky,  and 
to  write  that  history  as  soon  as  convenient. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  Dr.  Bascom  did  not  per- 
form this  labor  of  love.  He  had  entered  the  minis- 
try in  the  heroic  age  of  the  Church,  and  was  familiar 
with  the  men  and  had  mingled  with  many  of  the 
scenes  that  would  have  invested  such  a  work  with 
thrilling  interest.  So  far,  however,  as  we  are  ad- 
vised, no  steps  were  taken  in  this  direction  by  the 
distinguished  preacher. 


Western   Cavaliers.  513 

The  following  persons  were  admitted  on  trial: 
John  Barth,  Henry  Coch,  Larkin  F.  Price,  John  S. 
McGee,  John  JST.  Wright,  James  Penn,  Edmund  B. 
Buckner,  Timothy  C.  Frogge,  Warren  M.  Pitts,  Geo. 
B.  Poage,  William  J.  Chenowith,  Bartlett  A.  Ba- 
sh am,  William  Butt,  Edward  A.  Martin,  Alexander 
McCown,  Milton  G.  Baker,  Samuel  P.  Chandler, 
Stephen  K.  Vaught,  Thomas  J.  Moore,  Orson  Long, 
George  W.  Burriss,  Samuel  D.  Roberts,  and  William 
Neikirk. 

James  I.  George  and  Alanson  C.  Dewitt  located. 

Thomas  Hall,  Thomas  N".  Ralston,  Andrew  J.  Mc- 
Laughlin, Peter  Taylor,  George  S.  Savage,  James 
Ward,  John  Tevis,  ZadokB.  Thaxton,  Stephen  Har- 
ber,  Thomas  Waring,  Abram  Long,  and  John  Vance, 
were  placed  on  the  list  of  the  superannuated. 

For  the  first  time,  the  name  of  Thomas  N".  Ralston 
appears  among  the  superannuated  preachers.  He 
was  born,  in  Bourbon  county,  Kentucky,  March  21, 
1806.  In  November,  1826,  he  professed  religion, 
and  in  May,  1827,  at  Greer's  Creek  Church,  in 
Woodford  county,  Kentucky,  he  was  received  into 
the  Church  by  William  Adams,  and  by  the  same 
preacher  was  licensed  to  preach,  the  following  Au- 
gust, at  a  District  Conference,  in  Lexington,  Ken- 
tucky. In  1827  Mr.  Ralston  was  admitted  on  trial 
into  the  Kentucky  Conference,  and  was  appointed 
to  the  Mount  Sterling  Circuit,  with  Milton  Jamieson 
in  charge.  In  1828  he  was  appointed  to  the  Dan- 
ville Circuit,  with  William  Atherton.  In  1829  he 
located,  in  consequence  of  feeble  health,  after  having 
been  admitted  into  full  connection.  He  remained 
22* 


514  Western   Cavaliers. 

local  four  years,  a  portion  of  the  time  sustaining  the 
relation  of  principal  to  the  Bethel  Academy,  in 
Nicholasville,  yet  preaching  as  often  as  his  health 
would  permit. 

In  the  meantime  he  removed  to  Illinois,  where,  in 
1833,  he  reentered  the  itinerant  ranks  in  the  Illinois 
Conference,  and  was  appointed  to  the  Rnshville  Cir- 
cuit, having  for  his  colleague  the  young,  eloquent, 
and  sainted  Peter  Bowen.  In  the  spring  of  1834 
Rushville  was  detached  from  the  circuit,  and  formed 
into  a  station,  to  which  Mr.  Ralston  was  returned 
in  the  autumn.  In  1835  he  was  transferred  to  the 
Kentucky  Conference,  and  appointed  to  the  Ver- 
sailles Circuit,  having  for  his  colleague  George  S. 
Savage.  The  next  year  we  find  him  in  Frankfort; 
thence  we  follow  him  to  Maysville,  where  he  re- 
mained two  years.  From  Maysville  he  was  sent  to 
the  city  of  Louisville,  and  stationed  at  Fourth-street, 
the  oldest,  and  at  that  time  the  largest,  church  in  the 
city.  In  1840  he  was  appointed  Agent  for  Augusta 
College,  and  in  1841  his  field  of  labor  was  the  Shel- 
byville  Station,  to  which  he  was  returned  in  1842. 
In  1843  he  was  placed  on  the  list  of  the  superannu- 
ated, hut  took  charge  of  the  Lexington  Female 
High-school. 

From  the  time  that  Thomas  N.  Ralston  entered 
the  itinerant  ranks  he  gave  promise  of  great  useful- 
ness to  the  Church.  Soundly  converted  and  di- 
vinely called  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  he  entered 
upon  the  discharge  of  his  high  and  holy  office  with 
commendable  zeal,  and  prosecuted  its  duties  with 
energy  and  success.     Endowed  with  an  intellect  of 


Western    Cavaliers.  515 

a  high  order,  well  improved  by  a  liberal  education 
and  close  study,  as  a  preacher  he  attracted  attention, 
while  in  the  performance  of  his  pastoral  work  he 
greatly  endeared  himself  to  the  people  he  served. 

In  the  Mount  Sterling  Circuit,  where  he  won  his 
earliest  trophies,  revivals,  like  a  flaming  fire,  spread 
over  the  country,  and  more  than  six  hundred  per- 
sons were  added  to  the  Church.  It  is  true,  the 
zealous  Milton  Jamieson  was  in  charge,  and  John 
Ray,  Henry  McDaniel,  John  Craig,  William  C. 
Stribling,  John  Sinclair,  and  Israel  Lewis,  in  the 
ministry,  and  in  the  laity  Caleb  Caps,  Isaac  Redman, 
and  Frank  Owen,  contributed  their  influence  to  the 
advancement  and  progress  of  the  kingdom  of  the 
Redeemer;  yet  under  the  ministry  of  the  young 
itinerant  hundreds  were  brought  to  Christ.  It  was 
on  this  circuit,  and  during  this  year,  that  the  good 
Joseph  Sewell,  one  of  the  most  useful  local  preachers 
in  Kentucky,  was  licensed  to  preach.  He  had  just 
entered  the  Church,  and  was  impressed  with  the 
conviction  that  he  ought  to  persuade  sinners  to  be 
reconciled  to  God.  Without  education,'  he  felt  un- 
willing to  enter  on  a  work  so  responsible,  until  his 
agony  became  so  intense  that  it  was  almost  intolera- 
ble. Invited  by  Mr.  Ralston,  he  accompanied  him 
around  the  circuit.  His  exhortations  were  over- 
powering. Congregations  were  melted  into  tender- 
ness under  his  warm  appeals  and  earnest  prayers. 

On  the  Danville  Circuit,  the  times  were  prosper- 
ous. At  a  camp-meeting  near  Perryville  many  were 
brought  to  Christ.  William  Holman  was  stationed 
in  Danville  and  Harrodsburg,  and  the  gifted  Henry 


516  W  e  s  T  e  r  n    Cavaliers. 

S.  Duke  in  Lancaster  and  Stanford,  from  whom  he 
received  valuable  aid.  The  zealous  Dr.  Fleece,  of 
Danville — a  host  in  a  revival — and  the  good  Benja- 
min Durham  and  Carlin  Padlock,  in  the  country, 
held  up  his  hands  while  he  lifted  "  o'er  the  ranks 
the  prophet's  rod." 

While  traveling  on  the  Danville  Circuit,  on  one 
occasion  he  preached  on  the  possibility  of  apostasy. 
A  lady,  who  was  a  member  of  a  sister  Church,  be- 
came offended  at  the  sermon,  and,  passing  from  the 
church  in  company  with  another  lady  at  whose 
house  the  young  preacher  was  stopping,  she  was  so 
excited  that,  while  standing  on  a  log  by  the  side  of 
her  horse,  preparatory  to  mounting  him,  just  as  she 
had  repeated  in  a  raised  voice  the  words,  "  He  says 
a  Christian  may  fall  and  be  lost;  he  preached  a 
falsehood,  for  I  know  a  Christian  cannot  fall,"  she 
made  a  spring  for  the  saddle,  but  did  so  with  such 
force  that  she  fell  to  the  ground  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  horse — not  hurt,  however.  "  Now,"  said  the 
Methodist  lady,  "that  is  to  pay  you  for  getting 
angry.  I  hope  you  will  admit  hereafter  that  a 
Christian  may  fall."  The  offended  woman  after- 
ward became  a  Methodist,  and  with  great  humor 
often  related  the  incident. 

The  excessive  labors  of  two  years  had  so  impaired 
the  health  of  Mr.  Ralston  that  he  was  no  longer  able 
in  perform  the  duties  of  an  itinerant,  and  at  the 
suggestion  of  brethren  sought  for  rest  in  a  local 
sphere.  During  the  four  years  in  which  he  was  a 
local  preacher  he  preached  as  often  as  his  feeble 
health  would  permit,  and  often  beyond  his  strength. 


Western    Cavaliers.  517 

Entering  the  itinerant  tick!  in  Illinois,  in  1833,  he 
had  lost  none  of  the  zeal  which  had  characterized 
his  early  ministry,  but  with  untiring  energy  con- 
tinued to  persuade  men  to  turn  to  God.  In  the 
town  of  Rushville  a  meeting,  which  was  protracted 
through  more  than  two  months,  resulted  in  the  con- 
version of  one  hundred  persons.* 

*  In  Rushville  there  was  residing,  during  this  revival,  a  very 
reputable  citizen — Dr.  Cossett,  an  eminent  physician — past 
middle  age,  and  an  avowed  skeptic  as  to  Christianity.  He  had 
been  in  the  habit  of  indulging  for  many  years  in  his  daily 
drams,  but  never  was  known  to  be  too  much  influenced  thereby 
to  attend  to  his  professional  calls.  He  had  always  been  a 
regular  attendant  at  church.  His  little  daughter,  perhaps 
eight  or  nine  years  old,  professed  conversion.  She  instantly 
rose  from  her  seat,  her  countenance  shining  as  did  that  of 
Stephen,  and  rushed  to  the  bosom  of  her  father.  When  the 
invitation  for  members  was  given,  she  came  forward,  among 
others,  to  join.  As  soon  as  the  song  closed,  the  doctor  ap- 
proached me,  and  asked  the  privilege  of  speaking.  I  replied, 
"Certainly,"  but  feared  he  was  desirous  to  explain  his  reasons 
for  objecting  to  his  daughter  joining  the  Church.  But  no;  I 
was  mistaken.  He  spoke,  with  a  trembling  voice,  substantially 
as  follows :  "I  have  been  a  skeptic  all  my  life,  till  now.  I  know 
but  little  about  the  Bible.  My  little  daughter,  since  she  has 
been  attending  your  Sunday-school,  has  taught  me  more  about 
it  than  I  ever  knew  before.  I  am  now  convinced  that  your 
religion  is  a  reality.  I  know  that  my  daughter  is  no  hypocrite. 
I  am  resolved  to  change  my  life.  I  know  not  how  to  pray  as 
these  good  brethren  can  pray.  I  ask  you  all  to  pray  for  me, 
and  if  you  can  receive  such  an  old  wretched  sinner  I  wish  to 
join  the  Church  with  my  little  daughter."  The  house  was 
electrified;  saint  and  sinner  alike  wept.  He  was  admitted, 
and  welcomed  with  universal  acclamation.  In  about  a  month 
afterward  he  was  taken  severely  ill.  His  physicians  advised 
him   to  take  some  wine,  brandy,  or  something  to  stimulate 


518  Western    Cavaliers. 

On  Lis  return  to  Kentucky  success  still  crowned 
his  labors.  On  the  Versailles  Circuit  be  enjoyed  a 
year  of  prosperity,  in  Frankfort  be  bad  seals  to  bis 
ministry,  and  in  Maysville  many  were  converted  and 
added  to  the  Church. 

He  was  appointed  to  Louisville  in  1839,  imme- 
diately after  the  most  extraordinary  revival  that  bad 
ever  occurred  in  that  city.  John  Xewland  Maffitt 
bad  been  eminently  successful.  A  vast  amount  of 
work  bad  necessarily  to  be  performed  in  taking  care 
of  those  who  had  entered  the  communion  of  the 
Church,  and  most  faithfully  did  Mr.  Ralston  address 
himself  to  the  task. 

As  Agent  for  Augusta  College  he  traveled  ex- 
tensively, and  labored  faithfully  to  promote  the  in- 
terest confided  to  his  care. 

In  Shelbyville,  a  gracious  revival  blessed  the 
Church.  Worn  down  by  excessive  labor,  be  yields 
to  bis  wasting  strength,  and  asks  at  the  hands  of 
bis  brethren  a  superannuated  relation. 

Richard  Corwine,  John  Denham,  and  Elibu  Green, 
had  died.  The  two  former  were  veterans,*  the  latter 
was  in  the  morning  of  life. 

Elibu  Green  was  born,  in  Madison  county,  Ken- 
tucky, July  28,  1814.     He  was  brought  up  under  the 

him.  He  replied:  uXn.  I  promised  God  when  I  joined  the 
Church  never  to  touch  or  taste  it  again.  I  am  ready  to  die. 
but  not  to  break  my  promise."  He  was  resolutely  firm.  A 
few  days  afterward  1  sat  by  his  bed,  and  saw  him  breathe  his 
last  in  peaceful  triumph. — Letter  from  Dr.  Ralston  to  the  author. 
*  For  sketches  of  Richard  Corwine  and  John  Denham,  see 
the  ''History  of  Methodism  in  Kentucky." 


Western    Cavaliers.  519 

influence  of  a  deeply  pious  mother.  In  1837  lie  was 
converted  to  God,  and  soon  felt  inwardly  moved  to 
the  work  of  the  ministry.  He  was  admitted  on  trial 
into  the  Kentucky  Conference  in  1838,  and  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  Mount  Vernon  Mission.  He  spent 
his  second  year  on  the  West  Liberty  Mission.  He 
subsequently  traveled  on  the  Lawrenceburg  and 
Wayne  Circuits.  In  these  several  charges  he  was 
useful  and  beloved.  His  last  appointment  was  to 
the  Bowling  Green  Circuit,  in  1842,  where,  with  the 
zeal  which  had  distinguished  him  in  other  fields,  he 
prosecuted  his  high  and  holy  calling.  He  had  just 
closed  his  year's  work  when  arrested  by  the  fever 
which  terminated  his  useful  life.  When  asked,  in 
reference  to  his  approaching  change  of  worlds,  if  he 
was  afraid  to  die,  he  replied,  "No,"  and  added: 

"On  Jordan's  stormy  banks  I  stand, 
And  cast  a  wishful  eye 
To  Canaan's  fair  and  happy  land, 
Where  my  possessions  lie." 

On  the  day  before  his  death,  arousing  from  a  slum- 
ber, he  sang  the  stanza  of  the  hymn  "  Rock  of  Ages," 
beginning, 

While  I  draw  this  fleeting  breath, 
When  my  eyes  shall  close  in  death, 

and  then  remarked,  "  I  am  going  straight  to  heaven." 
Sunday  morning,  September  10,  1843,  his  happy 
spirit  left  the  earth  in  full  prospect  of  that  "rest 
that  remaineth  to  the  people  of  God." 

The  amount  collected  for  missions  was  two  thousand 
eight  hundred  and  thirty-nine  dollars  and  eighty-one 


520  Western   Cavaliers. 

cents,  which  was  an  improvement  over  the  former 
year. 

We  meet  with  John  Christian  Harrison,  again  in 
charge  of  the  Augusta  District.  He  was  born,  in 
Mecklenburg  county,  North  Carolina,  October  1, 
1809.  He  was  the  second  son  of  Samuel  Harrison, 
at  that  time  and  for  many  years  after  a  member  of 
the  South  Carolina  Conference.*  His  mother,  whose 
maiden  name  was  Ann  Rosser,  was  among  the  first 
fruits  of  Methodism  in  Roanoke  county,  Virginia. 
When  John  Christian  Harrison  was  in  his  tenth  year 
his  excellent  father,  then  in  feeble  health,  located. 
The  great  West  presenting  an  inviting  field  for  emi- 
gration, in  February,  1819,  he  left  South  Carolina, 
and  set  out  in  a  small  wagon,  with  his  wife  and 
children,  to  cross  the  mountains.  The  suffering  and 
exposure  of  that  journey  made  a  deep  impression  on 
all  the  family,  especially  on  John,  the  youngest  child. 
The  winter  was  an  open,  rainy  one,  with  great  varia- 
bleness of  the  weather.  The  newly-opened  territory 
of  Indiana  was  the  intended  point  of  their  destina- 
tion. Reaching  Franklin  county,  Kentucky,  on  the 
6th  of  March,  the  jaded  and  worn-out  condition  of 
the  horses  rendered  it  impossible  to  prosecute  their 
journey,  and,  after  resting  a  few  days,  Mr.  Harrison 
leased  a  farm  in  Mercer  county.  A  short  time  after- 
ward he  purchased  a  farm  in  the  same  county,  on 
which  he  passed  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Brought  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the 
Lord,  and  deeply  concerned  on  the  subject  of  re- 

*For  a  sketch  of  Samuel  Harrison,  see  the  "History  of 
Methodism  in  Kentucky." 


Western    Cavaliers.  521 

ligion,  John  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
August  29,  1827,  at  a  camp-meeting  held  at  Rock- 
bridge, Shelby  county,  Kentucky.  On  the  same  day 
he  was  happily  converted  to  God.  Soon  after  his 
conversion  he  believed  it  to  be  his  duty  to  preach  the 
gospel,  but  shrank  from  the  responsibility  of  the 
work,  fearing  that  he  was  not  suitably  qualified  to 
undertake  it. 

His  refusal  to  enter  the  ministry  cost  him  his  re- 
ligious comfort  and  many  months  of  perplexity  and 
doubt.  Consenting  at  last  to  yield  to  the  convictions 
of  his  heart,  his  "  peace"  again  "  flowed  like  a  river," 
and  all  was  happiness,  and  joy,  and  love.  In  Au- 
gust, 1828,  he  became  the  leader  of  a  class,  and 
commenced  in  earnest  to  exhort  his  classmates  and 
others  "to  make  their  calling  and  election  sure." 
September  7,  1829,  he  was  licensed  to  exhort,  and 
on  the  18th  of  September,  1830,  George  W.  Taylor 
licensed  him  to  preach  the  gospel. 

At  the  session  of  the  Kentucky  Conference,  held 
in  Danville  the  following  October,  he  was  admitted 
on  trial,  and-  appointed  to  the  Mount  Vernon  Circuit, 
as  the  colleague  of  Thomas  Wallace.  The  first 
fruits  of  his  labors  in  the  itinerant  ministry  were 
gathered  at  a  meeting  held  near  Mount  Vernon, 
November  13  and  14,  at  which  one  or  two  persons 
professed  religion  and  three  joined  the  Church. 

The  Mount  Vernon  Circuit  at  this  time  embraced 
Rockcastle  and  Laurel  counties,  the  larger  portion 
of  Clay,  and  extended  into  Pulaski  and  Lincoln. 
The  country  was  mountainous  and  sparsely  settled, 
with  twenty-two  regular  appointments  to  be  filled 


522  W estern    Cavaliers. 

every  four  weeks,  and  occasional  preaching  at  inter- 
vals. The  winter  was  excessively  cold,  and  the 
travel  oftentimes  attended  with  difficulties  almost 
insuperable;  yet,  nothing  daunted,  this  faithful 
preacher  of  the  gospel  met  his  appointments  with 
remarkable  promptness,  carrying  the  tidings  of  a 
Redeemer's  love  to  the  cabins  of  the  poor.  In  Jan- 
nary  Thomas  Wallace,  the  preacher  in  charge,  was 
compelled  by  feebleness  of  health  to  retire  from  the 
work,  leaving  the  responsibility  of  its  management 
with  his  young  and  inexperienced  colleague.  We 
have  his  journal  before  us,  and  as  we  follow  him 
from  place  to  place  familiar  names  often  occur,  and 
we  recount  the  difficulties  through  which  we  passed 
when  a  few  years  later,  a  beardless  boy,  we  bore 
aloft  the  banner  of  the  cross  in  much  of  the  same 
territory.  Not  withstanding  the  obstacles  that  im- 
peded Mr.  Harrison,  he  never  faltered.  His  visit  to 
his  parents  during  the  year  is  recorded  with  filial 
tenderness.  In  summing  up  his  labors  at  the  close 
of  the  year,  he  says:  "I  have  traveled  two  thousand 
miles;  have  preached  about  two  hundred  times; 
have  received  from  the  Church  for  my  support  about 
fifty  dollars;  have  suffered  the  extremes  of  heat  and 
cold,  of  wet  and  drought;  have  been  sick  and  have 
enjoyed  health;  have  been  on  the  mountain-top  and 
in  the  valley  low.  I  have  read  much,  reflected  much, 
prayed  much.  I  have  seen  some  few  sinners  turned 
from  the  error  of  their  ways,  but,  upon  the  whole, 
have  felt  rather  discouraged.  I  have  not  succeeded 
according  to  my  hopes  or  wishes,  and  now  feel  more 
than  ever  my  insufficiency  for  this  great  work." 


Western    Cavaliers.  523 

Mr.  Harrison  did  not  attend  the  Conference  that 
year,  but  remained  at  home  to  plant  the  small  grain 
on  the  farm,  while  his  father  attended  the  Confer- 
ence. On  the  return  of  his  father  he  handed  him 
the  plan  of  the  Mount  Vernon  Circuit,  to  which  he 
was  reappointed,  with  the  remark:  "John,  the 
Bishop  has  sent  you  hack  to  do  your  work  over 
again."  The  young  man's  reply  was:  "Another 
year  in  the  mountains!  I  presume  I  shall  get  used 
to  it." 

Considerable  prosperity  continued  to  bless  his 
labors.  His  journal  contains  an  account  of  heart- 
searching  examinations,  of  difficulties,  of  trials,  and 
successes,  and  everywhere  the  spirit  of  entire  conse- 
cration to  the  work  to  which  he  had  pledged  his 
energies  and  his  life. 

At  the  Conference  of  1832  Mr.  Harrison,  not 
being  fully  satisfied  as  to  the  scriptural  authority 
for  infant  baptism,  submitted  his  difficulties  to  the 
Committee  of  Examination  for  the  Undergraduates, 
and,  at  his  own  request,  was  continued  another  year 
on  trial.  From  this  Conference  he  was  sent  to  the 
Somerset  Circuit,  with  Thomas  L.  Davis  as  his  col- 
league. This  circuit  covered  a  large  territory,  em- 
bracing the  most  of  Pulaski,  Russell,  and  Casey 
counties,  with  portions  of  Adair.  Although  not  so 
mountainous  as  his  former  field  of  labor,  yet  the 
face  of  the  country  was  rugged,  contrasting  well 
with  the  kind-hearted  people  he  was  appointed  to 
serve.  The  year  was  one  of  marked  prosperity: 
more  than  one  hundred  persons  were  added  to  the 
Church.     He  concluded  his  efficient  labors  in  that 


524  Wester  n   C  a  v  a  l  i  e  r  s  . 

charge  at  a  camp-meeting  held  at  Bethel,  in  Casey 
county. 

At  the  Conference  of  1833  he  was  admitted  into 
full  connection,  having,  after  a  thorough  investiga- 
tion of  the  subject,  become  fully  satisfied  that  infant 
baptism  is  taught  in  God's  word.  He  was  appointed 
to  the  Green  River  Circuit,  with  Bluford  Henry. 
Without  the  advantages  of  an  ordinary  education 
before  he  entered  the  ministry,  Mr.  Harrison  had 
during  the  three  years  of  his  itinerant  life  been  a 
close  and  untiring  student.  In  the  charges  he  had 
filled  his  facilities  for  study  were  by  no  means  favor- 
able, and  yet  his  course  of  theological  reading  had 
been  extensive,  and  he  was  now  taking  rank  with  the 
more  prominent  men  of  his  age.  An  opportunity 
presented  itself  at  this  time  for  him  to  commence, 
under  a  suitable  instructor,  the  study  of  the  Greek 
language,  and  he  promptly  availed  himself  of  the 
privilege.  Professor  Duke,  of  Green  County  Sem- 
inary, kindly  offered  to  instruct  him.  In  this  de- 
partment of  study  he  made  rapid  improvement. 

Good  meetings  during  the  year,  and  two  successful 
camp-meetings — one  at  Breeding's,  in  Adair  county, 
and  the  other  at  Hilliard's,  in  Green  county — re- 
joiced the  hearts  of  preachers  and  people. 

At  the  ensuing  Conference  he  was  appointed  to 
the  Yellow  Banks  Circuit.  After  traveling  one 
round  he  was  summoned  home  by  the  death  of  his 
father,  whose  end  was  peaceful  and  happy.  Unable 
to  return  to  this  charge  because  of  its  remoteness 
from  his  widowed  mother,  a  change  was  effected  be- 
tween him  and  Kobert  F.  Turner,  who  had  been  sent 


Western   Cavaliers.  525 

to  the  Taylorsville  Circuit.  Mr.  Harrison  entered 
upon  the  work  in  this  charge  about  the  middle  of 
February,  and  at  the  following  Conference  was  reap- 
pointed to  the  same  field,  where  he  was  eminently 
useful.  At  the  Conference  of  1835  he  was  elected  a 
Reserve  Delegate  to  the  General  Conference — a  high 
compliment  to  so  young  a  preacher. 

We  have  seen  that  during  the  period  of  Mr.  Har- 
rison's ministry  through  which  we  have  passed  his 
fields  of  labor  were  extensive,  and  his  support  mea- 
ger; yet  he  devoted  himself  to  his  work  with  the 
zeal  of  a  true  minister  of  Jesus  Christ.  Six  years 
had  elapsed  since,  with  a  feeling  of  insufficiency  for 
the  duties  to  which  God  had  called  him,  he  had  left 
his  father's  house  to  preach  the  gospel  of  the  grace 
of  God.  He  was  then  a  youth,  timid  and  reserved. 
Step  by  step  he  had  advanced,  not  rapidly  but  surely, 
until  at  the  Conference  of  1836  he  takes  his  place 
in  the  front  ranks  among  his  brethren,  a  place  he 
would  occupy  to  the  close  of  his  life. 
•  As  the  colleague  of  Benjamin  T.  Crouch  he  was 
sent  to  the  city  of  Louisville,  and  stationed  at  the 
Fourth-street  Church.  From  this  time  he  occupied 
a  large  space  in  public  thought  as  an  able  minister 
of  the  New  Testament.  He  remained  in  Louisville 
for  two  years,  faithfully  and  successfully  performing 
the  duties  of  an  evangelist.  A  gracious  revival 
blessed  his  ministry,  and  many  turned  to  the  Lord. 
Side  by  side  with  George  W.  Brush,  who  was  sta- 
tioned at  Brook-street,  he  labored,  never  seeming  to 
tire  while  sinners  were  coming  back  to  God.  Hun- 
dreds were  brought  to  Christ. 


526  Western    Cavaliers. 

From  Louisville  we  follow  him  to  Lexington, 
where  he  witnessed  some  prosperity.  At  the  elose 
of  this  year  he  was  married  to  Miss  Virginia  J.  Coke, 
daughter  of  Thomas  Coke,  of  Anderson,  one  of  the 
best  women  in  the  Church,  and  a  member  of  one  of 
the  best  Methodist  families  in  Kentucky.  His  next 
appointment  was  to  Russellville,  where  he  was  still 
useful.  In  1 840  he  was  sent  to  Frankfort,  the  capital 
of  the  State.  A  few  months  after  he  entered  upon 
his  work  in  Frankfort  his  aged  and  pious  mother 
was  called  to  heaven.  On  the  23d  of  December  she 
exchanged  the  sorrows  of  the  present  life  for  a 
crown  that  will  never  fade  away.  In  1841  he  was 
again  sent  to  Louisville,  and  stationed  at  Brook- 
street,  where  he  had  a  pleasant  and  successful  year. 
At  the  Conference  of  1842  he  was  appointed  to  the 
Augusta  District,  and  became  the  gallant  and  faith- 
ful leader  in  that  extensive  field.  In  1843  he  sus- 
tained to  us  the  responsibe  relation  of  Presiding 
Elder,  in  charge  of  the  same  District  to  which  he 
was  appointed  in  1842;  and  here  we  had  every  op- 
portunity to  know  him  well.  Possessing  fine  execu- 
tive powers,  he  filled  the  office  with  an  ability  that 
claimed  the  respect  of  all  who  knew  him.  With 
preaching-talents  of  a  high  order,  he  occupied  a 
commanding  eminence  with  the  preachers  and  the 
people.  Faithful  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  as- 
signed him,  and  devoted  to  the  Church,  he  enjoyed 
the  confidence  of  all  who  knew  him.  Impartial  in 
the  administration  of  the  affairs  of  the  Church,  he 
defied  the  criticism  and  challenged  the  admiration 
of  all.     Such  was  John  Christian  Harrison  in  1843. 


Western    Cavaliers.  527 

As  the  Presiding  Elder  on  the  Augusta  District,  he 
discharged  every  duty  with  fidelity,  and  by  his  abil- 
ity in  the  pulpit,  his  spotless  integrity,  his  earnest 
devotion,  contributed  to  the  advancement  of  the 
kingdom  of  the  Redeemer. 

This  year  we  find  the  eloquent  and  zealous  Napo- 
leon B.  Lewis  in  Maysville.  Although  the  General 
Minutes  show  a  small  decrease  in  both  the  white  and 
colored  membership,  yet  his  ministry  was  blessed 
with  an  interesting  revival  of  religion.  During  a 
meeting  held  in  the  winter  the  altar  of  his  Church 
wTas  crowded  with  penitent  sinners,  inquiring  for  the 
way  of  life  and  salvation. 

Albert  H.  Bedford  was  placed  in  charge  of  the 
Minerva  Circuit.  His  colleague  was  George  B. 
Poage,  a  young  man  just  admitted  on  trial. 

Mr.  Poage  was  born  January  18, 1823,  in  Greenup 
count}^  (now  Boyd),  Kentucky,  one  mile  above  where 
the  town  of  Ashland  now  stands.  His  family  wTas 
one  of  the  most  influential  in  that  part  of  the  State, 
and  both  his  father  and  mother  were  pious  members 
of  the  Presbyterian  Church.  Under  the  ministry  of 
Jedidiah  Foster  he  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  in  the  town  of  Louisa,  February  16,  1841, 
and  was  happily  converted  to  God  on  the  25th  of 
the  next  month.  In  December,  1842,  he  was  licensed 
to  preaeh  by  William  B.  Landrnm,  and  was  ad- 
mitted on  trial  into  the  Kentucky  Conference  in 
1843. 

Entering  upon  the  work  of  the  ministry  in  the 
Minerva  Circuit  before  he  had  reached  his  majority, 
with  but  a  brief  experience  in  the  Church,  we  were 


528  Western    Cavaliers. 

surprised  to  find  him  so  well  prepared  to  perform 
the  arduous  duties  of  an  itinerant.  He  filled  his 
appointments  for  preaching,  conducted  prayer-meet- 
ings, met  the  classes,  and  visited  among  the  people, 
as  though  he  had  been  in  the  harness  for  several 
years.  £Tot  only  beloved  by  the  Church,  but  in  the 
affections  of  many  who  were  not  members  he  soon 
won  a  warm  place,  while  his  fervent  piety  and  burn- 
ing zeal  led  many  to  the  altars  of  the  Church  and  to 
Christ. 

The  first  meeting  of  special  interest  was  com- 
menced at  Mount  Zion  on  Christmas-day.  For  sev- 
eral days  and  nights  the  gospel  preached  had  no 
apparent  effect  on  the  multitudes  assembled  at  the 
place  of  worship.  The  Church  entered  into  solemn 
covenant  to  pray  to  God  to  revive  his  work,  and  not 
to  cease  in  their  efforts  until  their  prayers  were  an- 
swered. It  was  midnight,  and  the  altar  was  crowded 
with  penitents;  but  no  voice  of  thanksgiving  and 
praise  had  gone  up  to  heaven.  More  than  a  year 
had  passed  since  the  shout  of  triumph  from  a  soul 
new  born  to  God  had  been  heard  within  the  walls  of 
that  church,  consecrated  by  so  many  pleasant  memo- 
ries. One  o'clock  has  come  and  passed,  and  tears  of 
repentance  are  chasing  each  other  down  the  cheek 
of  sorrow  for  having  sinned  against  God.  A  mo- 
ment later,  and  a  note  of  joy  from  the  altar  rings 
through  the  house.  A  soul  has  "passed  from  death 
unto  Hfe."  Again  and  again  the  fetters  fall,  and 
souls  regenerated  give  thanks  to  God.  In  a  few 
moments  six  persons  found  the  "pearl  of  great 
price."     The  meeting  continued  for  several   days. 


Western    Cavaliers.  529 

Upward  of  sixty  were  converted,  and  seventy  per- 
sons were  added  to  the  Church.  About  the  middle 
of  January  a  meeting'  was  held  at  the  Stone  Church, 
a  few  miles  below  Maysville,  at  which  twenty  per- 
sons were  enrolled  as  members. 

Campbell  ism  boasted  a  large  organization  at  this 
time  in  Brooksville,  an  appointment  in  this  circuit. 
A  short  time  before  a  preacher  of  that  persuasion 
had  made  an  appointment  to  occupy  the  conrt-honse 
(the  only  place  for  preaching  in  the  town)  at  the 
same  hour  at  which  the  preacher  in  charge  of  the 
circuit  had  an  appointment.  As  the  time  ap- 
proached an  intense  excitement  prevailed  in  the 
community.  The  court-house  was  lighted  by  the 
Campbellites  before  sunset,  and  long  before  the  hour 
for  preaching  every  seat  was  occupied.  A  commit- 
tee waited  on  the  Methodist  preacher,  to  inquire 
whether  or  not  he  expected  to  preach,  and  on  re- 
ceiving an  affirmative  reply,  it  was  proposed  that  he 
have  an  interview  with  the  Campbellite  preacher, 
which  he  respectfully  declined.  The  two  preachers 
met  in  the  conrt-honse  just  as  the  hour  arrived  for 
the  commencement  of  the  service.  An  introduction 
passed,  and  then  the  Methodist  preacher  opened  his 
hymn-book  and  was  about  to  read  his  hymn,  when 
the  following  conversation  ensued: 

Campbellite.  —  There  is  an  unfortunate  state  of 
things  here  to-night. 

Methodist. — If  so,  can  you  inform  me  who  is  re- 
sponsible for  it? 

Campbellite. — Well,  I  hardly  know. 

Methodist. — Did  you  not  preach  in  this  house  this 
23 


530  Western    Cavaliers. 

morning?  and  when  you  announced  an  appointment 
for  this  evening,  were  you  not  publicly  informed  that 
this  hour  belongs  to  the  Methodist  Church,  and  that 
I  would  occupy  the  house? 

Campbellite. — Yes;  but  I  thought  we  might  ar- 
range the  affair  peacefully,  and  I  now  propose  that 
we  both  preach. 

Methodist. — I  cannot  hinder  you  from  preaching 
when  I  shall  close  my  service,  nor  do  I  desire  to  do 
so;  but  you  may  feel  assured  that  I  regard  your  in- 
terference with  my  appointment  as  a  violation  of 
Christian  courtesy. 

The  Methodist  preacher  occupied  the  stand,  and 
at  the  close  of  the  service  dismissed  the  congrega- 
tion, upon  which  they  were  requested  to  remain  and 
hear  another  sermon.  The  text  was,  "But  speak 
thou  the  things  which  become  sound  doctrine,"  and 
yet  no  doctrine  whatever  was  presented  and  advo- 
cated by  the  preacher. 

Early  in  February  a  meeting  was  held  in  Brooks- 
ville,  where  there  had  never  been  a  conversion.  A 
low  persons  had  removed  from  other  places,  and 
formed  a  small  Society.  The  meeting  continued  only 
one  week.  It  was  a  time  of  great  power.  Eighty 
persons  were  converted,  and  sixty-seven  joined  the 
Church. 

Among  those  who  professed  religion  during  the 
meeting  at  Brooksville  were  several  who  had  passed 
three-score  years.  An  incident  occurred  at  this 
meeting,  in  which  the  power  of  grace  was  displayed, 
that  ought  not  to  be  forgotten.  Three  young  per- 
sons— a  brother  and  two   sisters — had  joined  the 


Western    Cavaliers.  531 

Church,  and  the  brother  and  one  of  the  sisters  had 
professed  religion.  Their  only  surviving  parent  was 
their  father,  who  was  an  avowed  Universalist.  On 
learning  that  his  children  had  joined  the  Methodist 
Church  he  became  enraged,  and  declared  that  they 
should  never  return  home.  That  evening  he  came 
into  Brooksville,  and,  anxious  to  know  the  influence 
that  had  operated  upon  his  children,  attended  the 
place  of  worship.  At  the  close  of  the  sermon,  when 
penitents  were,  invited  to  the  altar,  his  daughter  who 
had  not  been  converted  was  among  the  first  to  pre- 
sent herself.  As  she  knelt,  her  father,  exasperated, 
approached  the  spot,  and  was  bending  over  her  to 
take  her  from  the  house,  when  his  son  and  remain- 
ing daughter,  observing  him,  and  believing  that  he 
had  gone  forward  to  ask  an  interest  in  the  prayers 
of  the  Church,  rushed  through  the  assembly,  and, 
falling  upon  his  neck  and  compelling  him  to  kneel, 
shouted  aloud  the  praises  of  God.  Unable  to  extri- 
cate himself,  he  sent  for  one  of  the  preachers,  to 
whom  he  stated  his  dilemma  (which  had  been  dis- 
covered by  the  preacher),  informing  him  that  he  had 
only  come  to  take  his  daughter  away,  and  that  if  he 
would  get  him  out  of  the  unpleasant  position  he  was 
in  his  daughter  might  remain.  The  preacher  sug- 
gested that  he  continue  upon  his  knees  until  a  pub- 
lic prayer  should  be  offered,  and  at  its  close  he  could 
arise  and  leave  without  an}T  disturbance.  Among 
the  members  of  the  Church  who  were  present  was  a 
pious  woman  named  Lydia  Hawes,  a  fine  singer  and 
remarkably  gifted  in  prayer.  The  preacher  called 
on  Lydia  Hawes  to  pray.     The  congregation  knelt, 


532  We  s  t  e  n  n    C  a  v  a  l  i  e  n  s  . 

and  while  on  their  knees,  before  praying,  she  sang, 

alone, 

"Show  pity.  Lord,  0  Lord,  forgive, 
Let  a  repenting  rebel  live: 
Are  not  thy  mercies  large  and  free? 
May  not  a  sinner  trust  in  thee?" 

She  then  offered  up  an  earnest  prayer  to  God,  remem- 
bering her  old  friend  and  neighbor,  and  expressing 
gratitude  that  he  had  resolved  to  seek  the  salvation 
of  his  soul.  The  effect  was  wonderful.  The  prayer 
closed,  and  still  he  knelt. 

••  You  van  leave  this  place  now."  said  the  preacher. 

"I  would  rather  not.  I  feel  that  I  am  a  sinner, 
exposed  to  almighty  wrath,  and  wish  an  interest  in 
the  prayers  of  God's  people,'*'  was  the  reply. 

An  hour  later  the  conrt-honse  rang  with  the  shout 
of  triumph  as  the  father  and  all  his  children,  in  each 
other's  embrace,  gave  glory  to  God.  The  scene  was 
grand  beyond  description. 

On  the  10th  of  February  the  second  quarterly- 
meeting  commenced  in  Augusta,  and  continued  over 
two  weeks,  at  which  seventy-eight  persons  were 
added  to  the  Church.  At  Minerva  a  meeting  was 
held  a  few  weeks  later,  which  resulted  in  a  gracious 
revival  of  religion.  On  Sunday  evening  of  the 
meeting  a  lady  was  converted  in  the  congregation, 
and.  rising  from  her  seat,  pressed  to  the  altar,  prais- 
ing God.  Her  husband  was  standing  at  the  door  of 
the  church,  surrounded  by  his  companions,  who,  like 
himself,  "cared  for  none  of  these  things.''  A  brief 
conversation  with  them  ensued,  and  then  lie  started 
down  tin-  aisle,  determined  to  take  his  wife  from  the 


Western    Cavaliers.  533 

church.  The  members  of  the  Church,  observing 
him,  and  anticipating  his  purpose,  gathered  around 
her  to  prevent  any  interference.  As  he  approached 
the  altar,  his  lips  white  with  rage,  the  preacher  in 

charge  said:  "Mr.  H ,  your  wife  is  converted. 

Stand  out  of  the  way,  brethren,  and  let  Mr.  H 

shake  hands  with  his  wife."  A  benignant  smile 
came  over  his  face  as  he  turned  toward  the  preacher, 
and,  offering  his  hand,  exclaimed,  "I  will  join  your 
Church,  too!"     He  made  an  excellent  member. 

At  Dover  there  were  times  of  refreshing,  and  be- 
fore the  first  of  April  three  hundred  and  fifteen  per- 
sons joined  the  Church,  in  the  circuit,  and  before  the 
year  closed  more  than  five  hundred  cast  in  their  lot 
with  the  people  of  God. 

While  this  work  of  grace  was  progressing  in  the 
Minerva  Circuit,  there  was  an  interesting  revival  of 
religion  in  the  Germantown  Circuit,  which  adjoined 
it,  under  the  ministry  of  Thomas  Rankin.  The 
Shannon  Circuit,  too,  with  Jedidiah  Foster  in  charge, 
enjoyed  times  of  prosperity.  At  Nelson  Asbury's, 
a  meeting  commenced  on  the  23d  of  August,  and 
continued  one  week,  at  which  fifty  persons  were 
converted,  making  a  total  during  the  year  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty-eight. 

On  the  Little  Sandy  Circuit,  Samuel  Kelly  made 
full  proof  of  his  ministry.  In  that  rugged  field  lie 
accomplished  much  good,  and  was  instrumental  in 
bringing  many  to  Christ. 

Gilby  Kelly  succeeded  John  James  on  the  Cov- 
ington "District.  This  was  the  first  experience  of 
Mr.  Kelly  as  a  Presiding  Elder.     He  was  eminently 


534  Western    Cavaliers. 

qualified  for  the  responsible  trust,  and  performed 
the  duties  assigned  him  with  signal  ability.  In  the 
city  of  Covington,  to  which  George  C.  Light  had 
been  appointed,  a  meeting  was  commenced  in  Feb- 
ruary, at  which  twenty -four  were  added  to  the 
Church;  while  at  Newport  the  ministry  of  Fielding 
Bell  was  remarkably  successful.  In  the  Falmouth 
Circuit,  Alexander  B.  Sollars  reported  thirty  addi- 
tions to  the  Church  at  Pisgah  Meeting-house.  On 
the  Leesburg  Circuit,  "the  pleasure  of  the  Lord" 
prospered  in  the  hands  of  William  C.  Atmore. 

The  name  of  Benjamin  T.  Crouch  was  still  a  tower 
of  strength  in  the  Lexington  District.  Since  1840 
he  had  occupied  this  field,  and  as  a  Presiding  Elder 
had  but  few  peers.  Under  his  leadership  the  Church 
improved  in  numbers  and  in  influence.  The  Mount 
Sterling  and  Athens  Circuits — the  former  in  charge 
of  Moses  Levi,  and  the  latter  served  by  Joshua 
Wilson — and  the  Fra'nkfort  Station,  whose  pastor 
was  Charles  B.  Parsons,  increased  in  membership, 
while  the  remainder  of  the  District  reports  a  falling 
off.  It  is  often  true  that  a  declension  in  numbers 
succeeds  a  large  ingathering  into  the  Church.  For 
several  years  almost  unparalleled  success  had  fol- 
lowed the  labors  of  faithful  men  in  this  section  of 
the  State,  and  a  small  decrease  in  the  membership 
the  present  year  affords  no  reason  for  discourage- 
ment. 

The  Transylvania  University  had  reached  the 
zenith  of  its  glory.  The  eloquent  and  gifted  Henry 
B.  Bascom  presided  over  its  fortunes,  while  Burr  H. 
McCown,  William  II.  Anderson,  R.  T.  P.  Allen, 


Western   Cavaliers.  535 

Josiah  L.  Kemp,  and  Thomas  II.  Lynch,  composed 
the  Faculty. 

Burr  II.  McCown  was  born  October  29,  1806,  in 
Bardstown,  Kentucky,  and  in  1818  was  converted  to 
God.  In  1824  he  joined  the  Presbyterian  Church; 
but,  believing  the  doctrines  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church  to  accord  more  fully  with  the  teachings 
of  the  Bible,  in  1826  he  joined  the  Methodist  Church, 
under  the  ministry  of  Hubbard  II.  Kavanaugh.  He 
was  educated  at  St.  Joseph  College,  in  Bardstown, 
and  took  the  highest  honors  of  his  class  in  both  the 
Latin  and  Greek  languages. 

From  the  time  he  became  a  member  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  he  had  expected  to  enter  the  min- 
istry in  that  denomination.  "We  are  not  surprised, 
therefore,  to  find  him  in  the  Methodist  ministry. 
He  was  licensed  to  preach  by  Marcus  Lindsey,  in 
1826,  and  in  1827  was  admitted  on  trial  into  the 
Kentucky  Conference.  His  first  appointment  was 
to  the  Henry  Circuit,  as  the  colleague  of  William 
Atherton.  In  1828  he  was  appointed,  with  John 
James,  to  the  Jefferson  Circuit.  At  the  Confer- 
ence of  1829  he  was  stationed  in  Russellville,  and  in 
1830  in  Louisville.  In  1831  he  was  elected  to  a 
professorship  in  Augusta  College,  where  he  con- 
tinued until  1842,  when,  with  Henry  B.  Bascom,  he 
removed  to  Lexington,  and  became  a  professor  in 
Transylvania  University. 

During  the  four  years  that  Mr.  McCown  was  in 
the  pastoral  work  he  was  useful  and  beloved.  A 
superior  preacher,  with  a  sweet  and  gentle  disposi- 
tion, courteous  to  all,  his  address  popular,  and  his 


536  W  E  S  T  E  R  N     C  A  V  A  L  I  E  R  S  . 

personal  appearance  commanding,  he  exerted  an  in- 
fluence for  good  that  could  be  claimed  by  but  few 

young  men  of  his  day.  When  we  have  seen  him  in 
the  pulpit,  and  heard  him  preach  the  unsearchable 

riches  of  Christ,  wo  have  regretted  that  he  was  ever 
called  from  the  pastoral  work,  in  which  he  was  so 
happy,  and  where  he  was  so  useful.  In  the  halls  of 
learning,  however,  he  lost  none  of  the  zeal  that  had 
distinguished  him  as  a  pastor,  and  none  of  the  love 
that  had  constrained  him  to  enter  the  ministry.-  As 
a  teacher  he  acquired  an  enviable  reputation,  and 
contributed  much  toward  the  formation  of  the  char- 
acter of  hundreds  of  young  men  who,  throughout 
the  West  and  the  South,  adorn  the  learned  profes- 
sions. 

William  H.  Anderson  was  born,  in  Wilmington, 
North  Carolina,  September  17,  1817.  In  1827  his 
father  removed  from  Wilmington  to  Richmond,  Vir- 
ginia. While  a  student  at  the  AVesleyan  University, 
in  Middletown,  Connecticut,  in  the  autumn  of  1833, 
he  was  happily  converted  to  God.  In  1835  his  father 
removed  from  Richmond,  Virginia,  to  Louisville, 
Kentucky;  and  in  1837,  at  the  close  of  his  classical 
course  in  the  AVesleyan  University,  William  H.  An- 
derson followed  his  father  to  the  West.  Dedicated 
to  God  in  baptism,  in  infancy,  and  brought  up  in  a 
pious  home,  we  are  not  surprised  that  in  the  dewy 
morn  of  life  he  gave  his  heart  to  God.  Fully  im- 
-  d  with  the  conviction  that  he  ought  to  preach 
the  gospel,  in  the  autumn  of  1838  he  received  license 
from  Benjamin  T.  Crouch,  and  entered  the  Confer- 
ence the  same  autumn.     His  first  appointment  was 


Western    Cavaliers.  537 

to  the  Newcastle  Circuit,  as  the  colleague  of  the 
zealous  James  P.  Holding.  His  second  year  he  was 
sent  to  La  Grange,  with  John  Beatty.  In  1840  he 
was  appointed  to  Bowling  Green,  where  we  still  find 
him  in  1841.  In  1842  he  was  appointed  to  the  city 
of  Frankfort,  as  pastor  of  the  Church  and  as  Agent 
for  .the  Transylvania  University.  Before  the  close 
of  the  year  he  was  called  away  from  the  pastoral 
work,  where  his  ministry  had  "been  so  greatly  blessed, 
to  fill  the  chair  of  English  Literature  in  the  Tran- 
sylvania University,  to  which  he  was  officially  ap- 
pointed in  1843. 

No  young  man  who  had  entered  the  itinerant 
ranks  in  Kentucky,  for  many  years,  had  given 
greater  promise  of  usefulness  than  did  William  H. 
Anderson.  Descended  from  one  of  the  most  prom- 
inent and  influential  families,  his  education  thorough, 
his  piety  uniform  and  consistent,  his  zeal  uncompro- 
mising, his  address  winning,  courteous  in  his  man- 
ners, devoted  to  the  Church,  his  style  in  the  pulpit 
popular  and  attractive,  and  with  a  voice  soft  and 
sweet,  his  entrance  into  the  ministry  was  looked  to 
with  more  than  ordinary  interest.  On  the  New- 
castle Circuit,  his  first  field  of  labor,  under  his  burn- 
ing words  and  warm  appeals  many  hearts  were 
touched,  and  fell  in  love  with  the  Saviour.  Wher- 
ever he  preached  crowds  hung  in  breathless  silence 
on  his  lips,  and  under  his  instrumentality  hundreds 
were  brought  to  Christ.  On  the  La  Grange  Circuit 
the  same  success  distinguished  his  labors,  and  many 
were  the  seals  to  his  ministry.  Before  his  appoint- 
ment to  the  Bowling  Green  Station  he  had  taken 
23* 


538  Western    Cavaliers. 

rank  with  the  first  preachers  in  the  State.  In  that 
charge  he  continued  to  be  eminently  useful  in  win- 
ning souls  to  Christ.  In  the  city  of  Frankfort,  as  a 
preacher,  he  occupied  a  commanding  eminence, 
which  he  continued  to  maintain  amid  the  classic 
halls  of  Transylvania. 

In  the  Shelbyville  District,  the  Lockport,  Bloom- 
field,  Springfield,  and  Lawrenceburg  Circuits,  and 
the  Bardstown  Station,  show  a  small  increase.  Wil- 
liam Griinn,  the  Presiding  Elder,  one  of  the  truest 
men  in  the  Church,  labored  with  diligence,  and  the 
noble  men  associated  with  him  discharged  their  duty 
with  fidelity;  yet  the  increase  is  small  in  the  charges 
we  have  mentioned,  while  in  the  remainder  the  de- 
crease is  considerable. 

The  Louisville  District  shows  a  decrease  of  fifty- 
three  in  the  white  membership,  and  an  increase  of 
twenty-two  in  the  colored.  In  several  charges,  in 
this  District,  however,  there  were  gracious  revivals 
of  religion.  In  the  city  of  Louisville,  under  the 
ministry  of  George  W.  Merritt,  upward  of  one  hun- 
dred persons  were  added  to  the  Church;  while  in 
Upper  Station  (now  Shelby-street)  two  hundred  and 
four  were  received  into  the  Church.  In  the  other, 
charges  in  the  city  there  were  times  of  refreshing, 
but  no  general  revival. 

In  the  Louisville  Circuit,  George  W.  Crumbaugh, 
a  sweet-spirited  preacher,  was  much  beloved  by  the 
people.  He  was  born,  in  Russell ville,  Kentucky, 
February  19,  1812,  and  in  the  same  town  was  con- 
verted under  the  ministry  of  Peter  Akers,  in  June, 
1828,  and  at  the  same  time  joined  the  Methodist 


Western    Cavaliers.  539 

Episcopal  Church.  In  1830  he  was  licensed  to 
preach  by  Benjamin  T.  Crouch.  For  ten  years  he 
exercised  his  gifts  as  a  local  preacher,  and  in  1840 
was  admitted  on  trial  into  the  Kentucky  Conference. 
He  was  appointed  to  the  Taylorsville  Circuit,  in  the 
bounds  of  which  he  had  resided  previous  to  his  en- 
tering the  itinerant  ranks,  and  where  he  remained 
for  two  years.  In  1842  his  field  of  labor  was  the 
Shepherdsville  Circuit,  and  in  1843  the  Louisville 
Circuit.  He  was  a  mild  and  pleasant  preacher,  and 
frequently  preached  with  remarkable  power.  He 
was  amongst  the  first  ministers  whom  we  knew,  and 
through  many  years  of  intimate  accpiaintance  we 
never  heard  him  speak  unkindly  of  any  one. 

We  are  gratified  to  find  the  name  of  George  S. 
Gatewood  in  the  list  of  appointments.  He  entered 
the  traveling  connection  in  1836,  and  was  appointed 
to  the  Madison  Circuit,  with  Absalom  Woolliscroft, 
both  of  whom  were  returned  to  the  same  charge  the 
next  year.  In  1838  he  was  sent  alone  to  the  Wil- 
liamsburg Circuit,  and  in  1839  to  the  Madisonville 
Circuit.  In  the  itinerant  ranks,  but  few  men  were 
more  useful  than  George  S.  Gatewood.  With  a 
singleness  of  purpose  he  addressed  himself  to  the 
arduous  and  responsible  work  of  the  ministry,  and 
was  successful.  Hundreds  were  awakened  and  con- 
verted under  his  faithful  labors.  .  In  1840  he  located. 
We  regretted  the  step  at  the  time,  and  rejoiced  when 
he  reentered  the  Conference. 

In  the  General  Minutes,  the  Hardinsburg  District 
shows  a  decrease  in  membership.  Upon  a  careful 
examination,  however,  we  find  a  more  favorable  ex- 


540  Western    Cavaliers. 

hibit.  Several  large  and  influential  circuits  were 
taken  from  it  and  placed  in  the  Morganfield,  a  new 
District,  just  formed.  In  addition  to  this,  the  num- 
bers in  the  Litchfield  Circuit  are  entirely  overlooked. 
In  the  Hardinsburg  Circuit,  in  the  pleasant  village 
of  Hardinsburg,  Richard  D.  Xeale,  the  Presiding 
Elder,  reported,  on  the  6th  of  June,  an  interesting 
meeting,  at  which  there  were  several  conversions 
and  accessions.  The  preachers  in  this  circuit  were 
Bartlett  A.  Basham  and  Hiram  T.  Downard,  men 
distinguished  for  their  piety  and  zeal.  On  the  19th 
of  August  Mr.  Neale  reports  fourteen  conversions 
and  sixteen  accessions  to  the  Church,  at  the  fourth 
quarterly-meeting  in  the  Hawesville  Circuit,  and  at 
a  meeting  just  held  in  the  Owensboro  Circuit  an 
addition  of  six;  while  on  the  Hartford  Circuit,  at 
Bethel,  at  a  meeting  held  July  20  and  21,  there  were 
"  several  conversions  and  ten  additions."  In  the  Big 
Spring  Circuit,  William  McD.  Abbett  reports  "an 
increase  of  fifty-nine  members,"  and  says:  "At  our 
late  camp-meeting,  although  disappointed  in  the 
ministerial  help  we  expected,  we  were  not  disap- 
pointed in  the  help  and  presence  of  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel.  His  power  was  displayed  in  the  conviction 
and  conversion  of  about  eighteen  souls."*  In  the 
Brandenburg  Station,  Wesley  G.  Montgomery  was 
beloved  and  useful.  The  Morgantown  Circuit  was 
greatly  blessed;  George  W.  Burriss,  the  preacher, 
fras  a  young  man  of  great  zeal,  and  did  much  good. 
Xo  charge  in  the  District,  however,  enjoyed  greater 
prosperity  than  did  the  Hartford  Circuit,  whoso 
Wi  4crn  Christian  Advocate,  September  20,  1844. 


W  E  S  T  E  11  N     C  A  V  ALIERS.  541 

preachers  were  Peter  Duncan  and  Allen  Scars,  both 
energetic  and  laborious  men  in  the  ministry. 

At  this  Conference  the  Morganfield  District  was 
formed,  from  portions  of  the  Hardinsburg  and  Hop- 
kinsville  Districts,  and  the  beloved  Richard  Tydings 
appointed  to  take  charge  of  it.  In  this  District 
there  was  an  increase  in  the  membership  in  every 
charge.  The  Henderson  Station,  under  the  minis- 
try of  James  I.  Ferree,  continued  to  prosper,  while 
the  Henderson  Circuit,  with  Learner  B.  Davison  in 
charge,  enjoyed  many  refreshing  seasons. 

Learner  B.  Davison  was  born  May  3,  1813,  in 
Grayson  county,  Kentucky.  His  parents  were  pious 
members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and 
brought  him  up  "in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of 
the  Lord."  On  the  7th  of  August,  1831,  he  em- 
braced religion,  and,  during  the  first  week  in  the 
following  October,  James  L.  Greenup  received  him 
into  the  Church.  He  believed  himself  to  be  di- 
vinely called  to  preach  the  gospel,  but  circumstances 
appeared  unfavorable  for  him  to  enter  fully  upon 
the  work.  His  duty  to  his  parents  required  his  at- 
tention to  the  affairs  of  home.  Through  several 
years  his  struggles  were  severe.  However,  he  ex- 
ercised his  gifts  as  a  class-leader,  and  often  held 
prayer-meetings,  where  he  endeavored  to  persuade 
sinners  to  be  reconciled  to  God.  On  the  19th  of 
March,  1842,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  Richard 
D.  Xeale,  and  appointed  to  the  Hardinsburg  Circuit, 
with  Seraiah  S.  Deering.  At  the  Conference  of 
1843  he  was  sent  to  the  Henderson  Circuit,  where 
we  now  find  him   laboring  with  apostolic  zeal.     He 


542  Western    Cavaliers. 

commenced  a  meeting  at  Hancock's  School-house 
on  Christmas-day,  assisted  bj  Messrs.  Dutton  and 
Fallin,  two  faithful  local  preachers,  at  which  twenty- 
t  wo  persons  were  converted  and  twenty-eight  joined 
the  Church.  On  the  18th  of  March  he  writes: 
"Since  my  last  correspondence  I  have  received 
thirty-four  probationers — in  all,  since  Conference, 
sixty-six."*  On  the  5th  of  September  he  says: 
"God  has  poured  out  his  Spirit,  in  a  very  powerful 
manner,  at  nearly  every  appointment.  Since  my 
last  correspondence  one  hundred  and  fourteen  per- 
sons have  been  admitted  on  trial — making,  in  all, 
this  year,  one  hundred  and  eighty."  In  every  de- 
partment of  his  work  Learner  B.  Davison  was  a 
faithful  and  acceptable  minister  of  Christ,  and  prom- 
ised great  usefulness  to  the  Church. 

The  Madisonville  Circuit  was  served  by  Samuel 
Turner,  and  the  Morganiield  Circuit  by  Isham  R. 
Finley,  both  of  whom  were  useful  preachers  of  the 
gospel. 

Samuel  L.  Robertson  and  William  J.  Chen o with 
were  appointed  to  the  Salem  Circuit. 

In  Smithland,  under  the  ministry  of  Francis  M. 
English,  a  zealous  young  preacher,  assisted  by  Messrs. 
Taylor,  Lancaster,  and  Robertson,  there  was  an  in- 
teresting revival  of  religion.  Commencing  with  the 
quarterly-meeting,  on  the  first  Saturday  in  Decem- 
ber, the  good  work  resulted  in  "many  conversions" 
and  "sixty -seven  additions  to  the  Church."  In 
Eddyville,  twenty-seven  persons  were  added  to  the 
Church,  at  the  first  quarterly-meeting,  held  in  De- 
*  Western  Christian  Advocate,  April  19,  1844. 


Western    Cavaliers.  543 

cember.  Ransom  Lancaster,  the  efficient  pastor, 
was  at  his  post,  and  was  assisted  by  Messrs.  Taylor, 
English,  and  Baldwin,  On  the  Princeton  Circuit, 
Samuel  D.  Baldwin  was  instrumental  in  doing  much 
good.  Revivals  crowned  his  labors,  and  many  were 
happily  converted. 

In  the  Russellville  District,  there  was  almost  a 
calm.  In  the  Logan,  the  Elkton,  and  the  Green- 
ville Circuits,  there  was  an  increase  of  a  few  white 
members,  but  a  decrease  of  the  colored.  Russellville 
and  Hopkinsville  show  a  decrease  in  the  white  and 
a  small  increase  in  the  colored  membership.  In  the 
other  charges  there  was  a  decrease  in  both  the  white 
and  colored  membership.  In  the  District,  however, 
there  were  several  interesting  revivals  of  religion. 
The  Church  in  Cadiz  prospered  greatly  under  the 
ministry  of  Zachariah  M.  Taylor. 

The  name  of  Robert  Fisk— on  the  Franklin  Cir- 
cuit—has frequently  appeared  in  these  pages.  He 
was  the  son  of  Henry  and  Martha  Fisk,  and  was  born, 
in  Monroe  county,  Virginia,  November  30, 1811.  In 
1816  his  parents,  who  were  distinguished  for  piety 
and  devotion  to  the  Church,  removed  to  Kentucky, 
and  settled  in  Montgomery  county,  and  became 
members  of  the  Grassy  Lick  Society.  Blessed  with 
religious  instruction,  Robert  Fisk  became  awakened 
and  fully  convinced  of  sin  when  quite  a  child.  He 
joined  the  Methodist  Church  in  1826,  under  the  min- 
istry of  Isaac  Collard,  and  soon  afterward  found  "  the 
peace  of  God,  which  passeth  all  understanding." 
Divinely  called  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  he  was 
licensed  to  exhort  by  Henry  J.  Evans,  in  the  spring 


544  Western    Cavaliers. 

of  1834,  and  served  as  assistant  preacher  on  the 
Danville  Circuit,  by  the  appointment  of  the  Pre- 
siding Elder.  At  the  ensuing  Conference  he  was 
admitted  on  trial,  and  appointed  to  the  Port  William 
Circuit,  as  the  colleague  of  Gilby  Kelly.  In  1835  he 
was  sent  to  the  Georgetown  Circuit,  with  Joseph 
Marsee,  and  in  1836  to  the  Barbonrsville  Mission. 
The  field  of  his  labor  in  1837  was  the  Xewcastle 
Circuit,  with  William  Helm  in  charge,  and  in  1838 
the  Burksville  Circuit,  to  which  he  was  returned  the 
following  year.  At  the  Conference  of  1840  we  find 
him  in  charge  of  the  Scottsville  Circuit,  and  in  1841 
on  the  Lawrenceburg  Circuit.  In  1842  he  was  sent 
to  the  Princeton  Circuit,  and  in  1843  he  succeeded 
George  Riach  on  the  Franklin  Circuit.  Among  the 
preachers  of  the  Kentucky  Conference,  but  few  men 
have  been  more  laborious  than  Robert  Fisk.  Reared 
in  the  lap  of  Methodism,  connected  with  one  of  the 
best  families  in  the  State  of  Kentucky,  converted  in 
childhood,  and  entering  the  ministry  in  early  life, 
he  devoted  himself  to  the  duties  of  his  hiffh  and 
holy  calling  with  commendable  zeal,  and  prosecuted 
his  work  with  fidelity  and  success.  In  the  several 
charges  he  had  filled  his  labors  were  blessed,  and 
many  were  brought  to  Christ. 

The  venerable  George  W.  Taylor  still  presided 
over  the  Bowling  Green  District.  Almost  every 
portion  of  this  extensive  field  exhibited  signs  of 
prosperity.  In  the  Greensburg  Circuit,  to  which 
Albert  Kelly  and  Timothy  C.  Frogge  were  ap- 
pointed, the  showers  of  grace  were  frequent  and 
3hing.     The  preachers  were  both  zealous  and 


Western    Cavaliers.  545 

useful.     Mr.  Kelly  had  been  a  traveling  preacher  for 

several  years,  but  his  colleague  had  just  entered  the 
Conference. 

Timothy  C.  Frogge  was  born,  in  Fentress  county, 
Tennessee,  April  21,  1821.  He  was  happily  con- 
verted to  God  in  August,  1837,  in  Wayne  county, 
Kentucky,  and  joined  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  in  September  of  the  same  year.  In  June, 
1840,  he  was  licensed  to  preach  by  James  King. 
Brought  up  under  religious  influence,  in  the  Meth- 
odist Church,  the  grandson  of  the  faithful  and  zeal- 
ous Timothy  Carpenter,  and  knowing  the  Scriptures 
from  a  child,  he  bade  fair  to  be  useful  in  the  minis- 
try. In  1843  he  was  admitted  on  trial  into  the 
Kentucky  Conference. 

John  S.  Magee,  a  zealous  and  efficient  young 
preacher,  was  appointed  to  the  Barren  Circuit.  He 
was  born,  in  Beavertown,  Pennsylvania,  December 
9,  1819,  but  was  brought  up  chiefly  in  Fayette 
county,  Kentucky,  spending,  however,  a  short  time 
in  Butler  county,  Ohio.  When  nine  years  old  he 
was  converted,  in  Oxford,  Ohio.  In  1842  he  joined 
the  Church,  in  Salvisa,  Kentucky,  under  the  minis- 
try of  Richard  Deering,  and  the  same  year  was 
licensed  to  preach  by  James  King.  At  the  session 
of  the  Kentucky  Conference  of  1843  he  was  admit- 
ted on  trial,  and  appointed  to  the  Barren  Circuit, 
where  he  was  useful  and  beloved. 

The  Bowling  Green  Circuit  enjoyed  times  of  re- 
freshing, under  the  labors  of  Robert  G-.  Gardner. 
Mr.  Gardner  was  an  Englishman  by  birth.  He  was 
born,  in  Kent  county,  England,  May  22,  1806,  and 


546  Western    Cavaliers. 

joined  tlic  Wesleyan  Methodists  in  August,  1822. 
In  1825  he  was  happily  converted,  and  emigrated  to 

America  in  1830.  In  1836  he  entered  the  Kentucky 
Conference,  as  a  traveling  preacher.  His  first  ap- 
pointment was  to  the  Shelby  Circuit,  as  the  colleague 
of  Eli  13.  Crain.  In  1837  he  was  scut  to  the  Madi- 
son ville  Circuit,  where  he  remained  two  years.  His 
field  of  labor  for  1839  and  1840  was  the  Princeton 
Circuit,  and  in  1841  the  Hodgenville  Circuit.  In 
1S42  he  was  sent  to  the  Greensburg  Circuit,  and  in 
1843  to  the  Bowling  Green  Circuit,  where  we  now 
find  him.  He  was  a  most  industrious  and  useful 
preacher. 

The  Scottsville  and  Albany  Circuits — the  former 
in  charge  of  Munford  Pelly,  and  the  latter  in  charge 
of  Joel  Peak — increased  in  numbers;  while  the 
Wayne  Circuit,  with  the  sweet -spirited  William 
Lasley,  and  the  Columbia  Circuit,  with  James  Penn 
and  Edward  A.  Martin  as  the  preachers,  had  seasons 
of  prosperity. 

Occasional  revivals  crowned  the  labors  of  the 
preachers  in  the  Harrodsburg  District,  yet  there 
was  no  extraordinary  display  of  divine  power  within 
its  bounds,  during  the  present  year. 

The  Barboursville  District  was  more  prosperous. 
In  the  Barboursville  Circuit,  under  the  ministry  of 
William  P.  Read  and  George  Y.  Taylor,  the  revivals 
were  extensive  and  powerful;  while  on  the  Man- 
chester Mission  Allen  McLaughlin  was  instrumental 
in  the  accomplishment  of  much  good.  The  Louisa 
Circuit,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Marcus  L.  King, 
increased  largely  in  numbers  and  influence. 


Western    Cavaliers.  547 

In  Jackson's  Purchase,  we  find  Moses  Brock  in 
charge  of  the  Paducah  District.  The  Paducah  Sta- 
tion shows  a  considerable  decrease  in  membership, 

while  in  every  other  portion  of  the  District  there 
were  large  accessions  to  the  Church.  In  the  Hick- 
man  Circuit,  in  charge  of  Thomas  Smith  and  Jesse 
F.  Walsh,  the  work  of  revival  was  general.  Com- 
mencing with  the  first  of  July,  before  the  last  of 
August  two  hundred  and  seventy-five  souls  were 
happily  converted.  The  Mayfield  Circuit  was  in  a 
flame.  Meredith  II.  Neal,  the  preacher,  on  the  9th 
of  October,  reported  the  revival  influence  through- 
out his  charge.  In  the  Paducah  and  the  Wadesboro 
Circuits — the  former  served  by  William  Lambden 
and  William  Higgins,  and  the  latter  by  Daniel 
Mooney  —  the  revivals  were  extensive,  embracing 
hundreds  in  their  influence. 

Notwithstanding  the  revivals  with  which  Ken- 
tucky was  blessed,  there  was  a  decrease  of  five  hun- 
dred and,  twenty-nine  in  the  white  and  five  hundred 
and  forty -eight  in  the  colored  membership. 

We  have  now  passed  through  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  periods  of  the  history  of  Methodism  in 
Kentucky,  embracing  twelve  years,  replete  with 
blessings  to  the  Church  and  the  State.  AY  hen,  in 
1832 — the  date  at  which  this  volume  opens — the 
Kentucky  Conference  assembled  in  Harrodsburg, 
there  were  enrolled  in  the  Minutes  the  names  of  one 
hundred  and  fourteen  preachers,  including  nineteen 
who  were  superannuated  and  five  who  were  pro- 
claiming the  tidings  of  salvation  in  Jackson's  Pur- 


548  W  e  s  t  e  r  n    Cavaliers. 

chase,  embraced  in  the  Tennessee  Conference.  At 
that  period  there  were  in  the  Kentucky  Conference 
six  Districts,  including  fifty-one  circuits  and  sta- 
tions, besides  two  circuits  in  the  Purchase.  The 
membership  of  the  Church  in  Kentucky  amounted 
to  twenty-two  thousand  /lure  hundred  and  eight  white 
and  four  thousand  six  hundred  and  sixty-nine  colored. 
Of  this  number  seven  hundred  and  sixty-six  white 
and  eighteen  colored  members  belonged  to  the  Pur- 
chase. Twelve  years  have  passed,  and  in  Kentucky 
we  find  one  hundred  and  seventy-four  traveling 
preachers,  including  fourteen  on  the  superannuated 
list  and  ten  in  the  Paducah  District,  Memphis  Con- 
ference. Instead  of  six  Districts  we  have  now 
eleven  in  the  Kentucky  Conference,  and  instead  of 
fifty-one  circuits  and  stations  we  have  one  hundred 
and  sixteen;  and  instead  of  two  circuits  in  Jackson's 
Purchase  Ave  have  the  Paducah  District,  with  eight 
separate  charges,  six  of  which  are  in  Kentucky. 

During  this  period  the  membership  in  the  Ken- 
tucky Conference  increased  from  twenty-one  thou- 
sand five  hundred  and  forty-two  white  and  four 
thousand  six  hundred  and  fifty-one  colored  to  thirty- 
nine  thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy -seven  white 
and  nine  thousand  three  hundred  and  sixty-two  colored 
members.  In  Jackson's  Purchase,  during  the  same 
period,  the  membership  increased  from  seven  hun- 
dred and  sixty-six  white  and  eighteen  colored  to  three 
thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty -one  white  and  ninety - 
four  colored — making  a  total  of  forty '-two  thousand 
six  hundred  and  eight  white  and  nine  thousand  four 
hundred  and  fifty-six  colored  members.  As  we  look 
at  these  results  we  thank  God  and  take  courage. 


The  History  of  Methodism  in  Kentucky 


BY  THE  REV.  A.  H.  RED  FORD,  D.D. 


In  Three  Volumes,  with  Engravings  —  Embracing 
the  Period  prom  1754  to  1832. 

Price  per  Set:  Muslin,  $6;  Muslin,  Gilt,  $9;   Turkey  Morocco, $12. 
Thirty  per  cent,  discount  to  Preachers. 


TESTIMONIALS  OF  EDITORS  AND  OTHERS. 

The  portrait-gallery,  through  which  the  reader  is  led  with  sustained 
and  increasing  interest,  is  rich  in  original  characters.  How  wide  is 
the  difference  between  Bascom  and  Axley,  between  Marcus  Lindsey 
and  Jonathan  Stamper,  Tevis  and  Holman !  The  natural  diversities 
in  genius  and  bent  of  intellect,  which  liberal  training  in  the  schools  is 
apt  to  temper  and  shape  into  the  same  mold  of  character,  here  stand 
out  in  their  original,  sharply-defined  features.  To  the  general  reader, 
as  well  as  to  the  student  of  mind,  this  gives  wonderful  vivacity  to  the 
book.  Many  of  these  men  ro^e,  in  sound  judgment,  acute  observation, 
clearness  and  power  of  utterance,  far  above  the  average  capacity  of  the 
human  mind;  yet  each  is  himself;  each  possesses  his  distinguishing 
<|ual  ity ,  his  peculiar  type  of  character.  It  is  matter  of  profound  grati- 
fication that  the  names  of  so  many  of  these  faithful,  excellent  men, 
over  whose  memories  time  was  making  haste  to  draw  the  veil  of  ob- 
livion, have  been  rescued  by  the  patient  researches  of  our  worthy  his- 
torian.— Bishop   Wight  man . 

It  should  be  in  every  man's  hand.  Plain,  unostentatious,  it  re- 
counts the  toils,  sufferings,  and  successes  of  the  noble  men  who  planted 
Methodism  in  the  "  Dark  and  Bloody  Ground"  of  Kentucky.  The 
author  is  a  splendid  annalist.  He  has  rescued  from  oblivion  a  vast 
mass  of  invaluable  information,  and  grouped  it  into  a  form  that  will 
forever  be  attractive  and  useful.  No  one  can  get  up  from  the  reading 
of  the  book  without  being  thrilled  with  new  and  holy  resolves  to  emu- 
late the  glorious  men  whose  mimes  and  deeds  fill  its  pages. — Her.  C. 
W.  Ml  Her. 

I  have  gone  through  "Methodism  in  Kentucky"  again,  and  cannot 
say  how  much  I  enjoyed  it.  Dr.  Red  ford  has  rendered  a  service  of  love 
to  the  memories  of  the  dead,  to  whom  the  Church  owes  a  lasting  debt 
of  grai it ud. >,  which  enl  itlea  him  to  the  thanks  of  the  entire  Methodist 
Church,  lie  has  rescued  their  mimes  from  oblivion,  and  has  pre- 
d  their  characters  in  graphic  briefness,  yet  with  sufficienl  full- 
ness to  render  them  recognizable  to  the  Ohureh,  as  only  the  wielder  of 
a  facile  and  eloquent  pen  can  do. — Irish  Correspondent. 

(549) 


It  affords  me  great  pleasure  to  acknowledge  the  reception  of  both 
volumes  of  your  "  History  of  Methodism  in  Kentucky,"  the  reading  of 
which  carried  me  back  lo  other  days,  and  to  many  of  the  men  of  other 
days,  with  a  number  of  whom  I  was  familiar,  and  of  whom  I  have 
many  fond  recollections;  and  with  the  decided  intelligence,  honest  in- 
dependence, and  perseverance  of  the  preachers  of  Kentucky  I  have 
always  been  delighted.  ''The  History  of  Methodism"  is  full  of  interest, 
not  to  Kentucky  only,  hut  to  the  Methodists  and  lovers  of  Christianity 
everywhere.  Just  think  of  the  labor,  the  suffering,  and  success  of 
those  who  introduced  and  planted  Methodism  in  that  State,  and  with 
united  hearts  let  us  give  God  all  the  glory  !  It  affords  me  sincere  pleas- 
ure to  recommend  your  book  to  our  people  in  Virginia,  and  all  over 
the  land,  as  the  most  interesting  account  of  -what  God  hath  wrought, 
and  by  whom  he  hath  wrought  it,  in  that  land. — Bishop  Early. 

The  work  before  us  is  just  such  a  record  of  the  names  and  deeds  of 
these  men  of  God  as  I  like  to  read.  Dr.  Bedford  has  performed  a  good 
work  for  the  Church  in  this  publication.  He  has  manifested  a  most 
indomitable  spirit  of  patience  and  energy  in  the  collection  of  these  most 
important  materials.  This  was  a  task  of  great  difficulty,  as  but  few 
could  he  found  from  whom  important  information  could  be  obtained. 
But  the  work  is  obviously  a  labor  of  love,  and  right  well  has  it  been 
performed.  The  History  should  be  in  every  family  ;  and  the  preachers, 
especially,  should  read  it  and  have  their  hearts  warmed  and  their  zeal 
rekindled  by  studying  the  self-sacrificing  character  of  the  men  of  God 
who  planted  and  watered  our  glorious  Methodism  on  the  "Dark  and 
Bloody  Ground." — Bishop  Andrew. 

We  admire  this  History  because  of  its  fairness  and  faithfulness.  It 
tells  of  the  good  with  pleasure,  and  of  the  evil  from  a  sense  of  duty. 
Itshuns  not  to  meet  the  issues,  and  shrinks  not  from  the  task  of  dis- 
posing of  them  correctly.  Highly  as  we  prize,  the  two  volumes  out, 
they  would  fall  far  short  of  meeting  the  expectations  of  this  generation. 
It  is  true  that  many  who  were  "  burning  and  shining  lights"  in  1820 
still  live  to  bless  the  Church  and  link  the  past  with  the  present,  but 
the  most  of  them  have  fallen  asleep.  And  we  are  glad  to  have  more 
than  an  intimation  from  the  author  that  he  intends  to  complete  his 
work,  which  we  sincerely  hope  he  may  do,  with  the  same  success  and 
satisfaction  that  he  has  so  far  given. —  Christian  Observer. 

The  history  of  early  Methodism  in  Kentucky  is  peculiarly  interest- 
ing. The  peculiarly  romantic  character  of  the  pioneers  of  the  "Dark 
and  Bloody  Ground"  found  one  of  its  most  marked  developments  in 
the  first  generation  of  Western  Methodist  itinerants,  several  of  the 
chief  of  whom  were  either  natives  or  foster-sons  of  Kentucky.  Those 
early  adventurers  have  been  gathered  up  with  great  diligence  and  a 
good  degree  of  success  by  the  author  of  this  work.  He  seems  to 
write  with  conscientious  fidelity  and  in  good  temper. —  Christian.  Ad- 
vocate and  Journal. 

One  valuable  trait  is  its  biographical  sketches.  These  are  well- 
drawn  pictures  of  persons  whose  memories  are  precious  in  the  Church. 
We  commend  it  to  the  Church  as  a  valuable  contribution  to  the  his- 
tory of  Methodism  in  the  days  of  trial  that  brought  out  the  giants  of 
our  cause. —  Western  Christian  Advocate. 

The  author  has  done  a  good  work  not  only  for  Methodism  in  Ken- 
tucky, but  for  Methodism  throughout  the  land.  It  is  full  of  valuable 
in  format  ion,  is  written  in  a  pleasant  style,  and  will  furnish,  when 
completed,  a  valuable  addition  toour  historic  literature. — Rev.  W.  G. 
E.  Cunnyngham,  D.D. 

(550) 


The  second  volume  of  this  History,  like  the  first,  gives  a  graphic 
account  of  the  pioneer  work  of  Methodism  on  the  "Dark  and  Bloody 
Ground,"  and  interesting  sketches  of  the  lives  and  character  of  the 
workers.  The  work  is  well  done,  and  the  material  skillfully  used. 
Such  :i  sketch  of  the  toils  and  triumphs  of  the  pioneers  of  Methodism, 
amid  hardships  little  known  in  modern  days,  ought  to  quicken  the 
pulse  of  the  Church  and  stimulate  the  ministry  to  a  more  ardent  self- 
devotion.  We  commend  it  to  all  our  readers. — Southern  Christian 
Advocate^ 

The  author,  by  the  admirable  style  in  which  he  has  handled  his 
subject,  has  invested  the  truth  of  religious  history  with  all  the  inter- 
est of  romance,  and  yet  he  has  done  it  so  beautifully  that,  while  he 
portrays  the  scenes  of  a  half  century  ago,  we  seem  to  live  them  over 
again.  When  he  brings  up  the  experiences  of  Wilkerson,  and  Axley, 
and  others,  who  laid  the  foundation  of  the  Church  in  the  wilderness, 
he  awakens  recollections  of  the  olden  time  that  are  dear  as  pearls  to 
many  who  have  not  forgotten  them. — Knoxville  Press  and  Herald. 

Bedford's  "  History  of  Methodism  in  Kentucky"  came  out  very  op- 
portunely, to  tone  up  the  sentiment  of  the  Church  by  the  romance  of 
the  early  times,  to  stimulate  modern  zeal  by  the  example  of  the  fathers, 
to  give  fresh  vitality  and  vigor  to  the  denominational  feeling  by  the 
glorious  records  of  the  past.  I  commend  the  book.  Let  it  he  widely 
diffused  and  read  till  the  spirit  of  aggression  once  more  animates  the 
Church,  and  the  great  revival  shall  be  no  longer  a  marvel  of  history, 
but  a  living  scene,  a  realized  experience. — Bishojj  Pierce. 

"We  hail  the  book  with  pleasure,  and,  from  a  few  cursory  glances,  feel 
sure  that  we  shall  read  it  with  much  entertainment  and  profit.  The 
ground  over  which  the  author  takes  us  is  classic  in  Methodist  history. 
The  noblest  deeds  of  daring  and  self-denial,  for  the  sake  of  preaching 
Christ  on  the  "Dark  and  Bloody  Ground,"  illustrate  the  pages  of  the 
work,  and  make  the  names  of  the  pioneer  preachers  the  precious  oint- 
ment poured  forth  on  the  heads  of  their  successors  in  the  ministry. — 
Richmond  Christian  Advocate. 

Mr.  Redford  has  done  good  service  in  his  Church  and  for  the  cause 
of  Christ.  He  seems  to  have  gathered  up  with  great  care,  and  nar- 
rated with  beautiful  simplicity,  the  story  of  the  early  trials  and  tri- 
umphs of  Methodism  in  Kentucky.  The  spirit  of  his  volume  is  em- 
inently catholic,  while  yet  thoroughly  denominational — just  the  spirit 
which  renders  his  story  one  of  great  interest  to  Christian  people  of  all 
evangelical  Churches. — Free  Christian  Commonwealth  (Presbyterian). 

I  congratulate  the  Methodists  of  Kentucky  and  the  community  in- 
terested in  their  history  on  the  signal  success  of  the  Rev.  A.  H.  Red- 
ford,  in  writing  "  The  History  of  Methodism  in  Kentucky."  The  style 
is  historic,  natural,  and  flowing.  The  language  is  easy,  pertinent,  and 
dignified,  all  telling  on  the  subject  in  hand.  The  narrative  so  absorbs 
the  attention  and  excites  the  interest  of  the  reader  that  he  is  compelled 
to  read  this  book. — Bishop  Kavanaugh. 

The  friends  of  evangelical  Methodism  owe  a  debt  of  lasting  grati- 
tude to  Dr.  Redford  for  this  admirable  contribution  to  the  literature  of 
our  Church.  The  second  volume  fully  sustains  the  interest  imparted 
by  the  first,  and  the  entire  work  possesses  all  the  fascination  of  a  ro- 
mance. It  is  singularly  free  from  that  ambitious  sectarian  and  de- 
nominational cant  which  too  frequently  characterize  such  productions. 
— Episcopal  Mi  thodist. 

Never  in  our  life  have  we  been  so  pleased  and  entertained  by  a  book. 
No  family  should  be  without  it. —  Texas  Christian  Advocate. 

(551) 


The  Methodists  may  well  congratulate  themselves  upon  having  a 
competent  historian  to  record  their  past.  Dr.  Bedford's  "History  of 
Methodism,"  the  second  volume  of  which  is  upon  our  table,  is  exceed- 
ingly well  prepared  and  arranged — in  style  attractive,  natural,  and 
-.  graphic  in  description,  and  the  talent,  industry,  and  integrity 
of  the  author  are  guarantees  of  the  reliability  of  the  work  as  authentic. 
—  Western  Recorder. 

Bedford's  History  is  not  lacking  in  matter  now  for  the  first  time 
published,  but  it  is  also  valuable  for  that  which  is  not  new.  From 
magazines  and  fugitive  newspaper  contributions — old,  dusty,  obscure, 
and  out  of  date — he  has  rescued  materials  that  were  as  good  as  lost, 
and  collocated  them  into  most  readable  pages,  and  into  a  form  perma- 
nent and  of  easy  reference. — Bishop  McTyeire. 

Showing  wonderful  industry  and  research,  with  very  great  success 
in  gathering  material  and  matter  in  a  pleasant  narrative  style,  clear, 
and  vigorous,  and  well  sustained,  this  volume  abounds  in  facta  and  in- 
cidents of  the  greatest  interest  to  religious  readers,  particularly  to 
Methodists,  not  only  in  Kentucky,  but  everywhere  throughout  the 
country. — Memphis  Christian  Advocate. 

All  the  pioneers  of  the  Church,  in  the  ministry  and  laity,  who  did 
so  much  to  lay  the  foundations  of  Methodism  in  Kentucky,  come  be- 
fore us  in  this  work,  invested  with  life-like  interest,  with  all  the 
charm  of  romance,  and  yet  with  all  the  trustiness  of  historic  truth. 
The  style  is  unambitious  and  popular,  yet  graceful  and  vigorous. — 
Nashville  Christian  Advocate. 

It  is  one  of  the  noblest  contributions  to  our  Methodist  literature  that 
has  been  made  in  the  last  decade.  It  possesses  all  the  fascination  of 
the  most  exciting  romance  and  all  the  moral  effect  of  religion  in  action. 
Such  a  least  as  is  afforded  by  these  two  noble  volumes  is  rarely  en- 
joyed, and  hence  they  should  be  in  every  family. — R.  H.  Rivers,  D.D. 

The  history  of  such  a  work  of  faith  (Methodism)  deserves  to  have 
been  written.  This  has  been  done  most  faithfully  and  conscientiously 
by  the  Rev.  A.  H.  Bedford.  The  author  purposes  a  continuation  of 
this  work,  until  the  whole  story  is  told.  We  hope  to  be  able  to  follow 
him  through  all  his  charming  narratives. — Louisville  Democrat. 

"  Methodism  in  Kentucky"  may  be  justly  regarded  as  a  valuable 
contribution  to  the  history  of  our  Church,  especially  in  the  West  and 
South.  It  is  well  calculated  to  promote  zeal  and  piety  among  our 
preachers  and  people.     I  read  it  with  much  interest. — Bishop  Paine. 

He  has  produced  a  contribution  to  the  history  of  Methodism  equal 
in  value  to  any  that  has  appeared  in  England  or  in  this  country,  in 
romantic  interest,  stirring  incident,  and  important  record. — New  Or- 
leans Christian  Advocate. 

Resolved,  That  we  most  cheerfully  indorse  "  The  History  of  Method- 
ism in  Kentucky,"  and  recommend  it  to  all  the  friends  and  members 
of  the  Church. — Louisville  Conference. 

Methodists  everywhere,  and  all  lovers  of  the  history  of  moral  hero- 
ism, ought  to  purchase  and  read  this  excellent  History. — Rev.  Lovick 
Pierce,  D.D. 

We  join  our  voice  with  thousands  of  others  in  thanking  Dr.  Bedford 
for  this  book,  so  full  of  interest  and  instruction. — Mrs.  Jane  T.  H.  Cross. 
ft  is  the  Iliad  of  our  Church  in  Kentucky — a  record  of  its  heroes, 
their  woes  and  their  triumphs. — Rev.  II.  A.  M.  Henderson,  D.D. 

(552) 


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